The impossible trident
How many prongs are there?
Cover one end of the trident and count.
This shape is impossible.
It is impossible because as you look at this flat 2D picture, your brain automatically tries to build a 3D shape in your mind – and it can’t.
This trident makes use of the fact that a drawing of a cylinder can be made using two lines, where as a rectangle takes three.
So although throughout the trident there are only 6 lines, these can make 3 cylindrical prongs but only two rectangular ones.
Impossible shapes show how our brains automatically try to make us see in 3D. After all, the image on your retina is flat, yet everything you see has depth.
Science Fact
There are 206 bones in the human body, half are in your hands and feet
