Real motion and apparent motion are two concepts used to describe different types of movement perception.
-
Real Motion: This refers to actual physical movement of an object in space. When an object moves from one location to another, it is considered to exhibit real motion. For example, a car driving down the street or a person walking is experiencing real motion because they are changing their position in the physical environment.
-
Apparent Motion: This is a phenomenon where an object appears to be moving, even though it is not actually changing its position. Apparent motion is typically the result of visual processing in the brain or specific visual illusions. A common example of apparent motion is the perception of movement in animations or films, where a series of still images are displayed in quick succession to create the illusion of motion (like in a flipbook). Another example is the “phi phenomenon,” where lights blinking on and off in a sequence create the illusion of smooth movement.
In summary, the key difference lies in the nature of movement: real motion involves genuine physical movement, while apparent motion refers to the perceived movement that occurs without actual change in position.