Physics

"The Physics of Stereoscopic Images"

When you look at a photograph of your family or watch a television show, the image you see is a 2 dimensional (2-D) image. The 2 dimensions in this case will be the height and width of the image. However, when you look around in a room or walk outside you observe not only the height and width of objects, but you also perceive its distance away from you (depth). Therefore, you observe your environment around you in 3 dimensions (3-D).

The reason why we can observe our environment in 3-D, is because each of our eyes obtain images from slightly displaced horizontal positions. This process is known as stereopsis and was first described by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838 and he later invented the
stereoscope. The stereoscope is used in the field of stereoscopy, stereoscopic imaging or simply 3-D imaging. This technique creates the illusion of depth while viewing 2-D images.

We will be looking at the properties and behavior of light and hence study the field of physics known as optics, to finally understand how stereoscopy works. After having a clear understanding of the technique involved in making stereoscopic images, we can look at various applications of it, for example in electron microscopy. In the end you will even understand how 3-D movies, such as Avatar, are made and why you need those Real 3-D glasses.

Participants

• Mr. Louwrens van Schalkwyk
• Mr. Johan Janse van Rensburg
• Mr. Hannes de Meyer
• Dr. Walter Meyer