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Parallax for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: 'pærə,læks

What does Parallax really mean?

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Parallax is a term that we use to describe the way objects appear to move or change position when we look at them from different angles or viewpoints. Let's break it down and understand it step by step.

Imagine that you are sitting on a train and looking out the window at the scenery passing by. As the train moves, you notice that the objects closer to you, like trees or buildings, seem to move by really fast. However, the objects that are far away, like mountains or the horizon, seem to move by much slower. This difference in how things appear to move is due to parallax.

Parallax happens because each eye (or in our case, each viewpoint) sees objects from a slightly different angle. Our eyes, you see, are positioned apart, which means they have slightly different viewpoints. When we look at objects that are close to us, they appear to move more because the difference between the viewpoints of our two eyes is greater. On the other hand, objects that are far away appear to move less because the difference between the viewpoints is smaller.

Now, let's think about this in a different way. Have you ever played a video game where you control a character moving through a 3D world? When you turn the character, things in the distance seem to move slower than things up close, right? That's the game developers using parallax to create a more realistic experience for you as the player. They mimic the effect of our two eyes seeing things from different angles by making objects in the distance appear to move slower.

So, to sum it all up, parallax is the way things seem to move or change position based on our viewpoint or angle of observation. It's like the difference you see when looking out of a moving train or playing a video game with a 3D world. Remember, when objects are closer, they seem to move faster because our eyes have a bigger difference in viewpoint. When objects are farther away, they seem to move slower because the difference in viewpoint is smaller. I hope this explanation helps you understand the meaning of parallax!

Revised and Fact checked by Michael Garcia on 2023-10-29 18:34:57

Parallax In a sentece

Learn how to use Parallax inside a sentece

  • When you look at an object, and then you close one eye, and it seems to move a little bit, that's called parallax.
  • If you hold your finger up close to your face and look at it with one eye, then switch to the other eye, your finger might seem to change its position a little bit. That is also an example of parallax.
  • When you are sitting in a car and watching the trees on the side of the road, sometimes the trees close to you seem to move faster than the trees that are far away. That difference in movement is called parallax.
  • If you move your head from side to side while looking at an object, it may seem like the object is shifting its position slightly. That shifting is caused by parallax.
  • If you hold a book in front of you and focus on the words on one page, the words on the other page might appear blurry because of parallax. It is because each eye sees a slightly different view.

Parallax Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

Parallax Hyponyms

Words that are more specific than the original word.