Stroboscopic Effect

Definition

The stroboscopic effect is a visual phenomenon where continuous motion is represented by a series of short or instantaneous samples. It's like when you see a series of still images presented in rapid succession, creating the illusion of movement.

Analogy

Think about how cartoons work. They're just a bunch of static drawings, but when they're shown one after another at high speed, it looks like the characters are moving. That's the stroboscopic effect in action!

Related terms

Persistence of Vision: This is the optical illusion that occurs when visual perception continues for a brief time after the actual stimulus has ended. It's what makes movies and television seem fluid rather than a series of individual frames.

Frame Rate: This refers to the frequency (rate) at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. Higher frame rates create smoother motion transitions.

Motion Perception: This is the process of inferring the speed and direction of elements in a scene based on visual input.