Zoetropes

What is the zoetrope & how does it work?

A zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion within the action that is being made. But this illusion is only made when it's spun. The zoetrope was made in 1834 by William Horner, William called the zoetrope 'daedalum' (meaning 'wheel of the devil'). The faster the rate the zoetrope is spun, the smoother the progression. But this is also only if you look through the slits in the zoetrope which than you'll be able to see the images moving. The reason why the zoetrope works is because of our vision, which was first noted down by Peter Mark Roget. The illusion breaks when the images we see are interrupted by moments of darkness. The zoetrope is a bit like a cinema, the slits in the side of the zoetrope act like a shutter on a cinema projector.