Optical illusion: Are these geometric shapes equal in size or not?

The baffling optical illusion shows three geometric shapes. You need to figure out whether these are equal in size or not.

Just when you think that you have come across the most baffling optical illusion, the Internet dishes out another mind-boggling image. And adding to that list is a geometric optical illusion that may rack your brain. The optical illusion features three geometric shapes, and you need to figure out whether the geometric shapes are equal in size or not.

Do you think the these geometric shapes shown in this optical illusion image are equal in size or not? (Lydia Maniatis )

The baffling optical illusion was created by Lydia Maniatis in 2009 and was shared on the website of The Best illusion of the Year Contest. The event celebrates the originality and creativity of the global illusion research community.

Take a look at the optical illusion image below:

The image shows three different geometric shapes. Are these equal in size or not?

Are these geometric shapes equal in size or not? You might argue that the shapes A and B are somewhat similar, but C is altogether different. However, that's not the case. All the three geometric shapes A, B and C, are of equal size, but how?

This is because all the lines - blue, pink and black - shown in the above optical illusion are equal in size, and shape B is simply shape C rotated counterclockwise. The optical illusion in question is related to Shepard's tabletop illusion, considered one of the most powerful optical illusions. It explains why two identical parallelograms, such as tabletops, appear radically different at two different angles.