open dyslexic mode

Ever seen car wheels spin backwards on video? Here’s the daily physics secret behind the wagon-wheel effect!
✨ Full videos + shorts:    / @eurekaorbit  

If your phone shoots 30 fps while a 12-spoke rim spins at ~25 rps, the camera samples the same spoke position each frame—and your brain stitches those frames into a reverse rotation. This episode breaks down temporal aliasing, Nyquist sampling, and why LED lights make fans look frozen. Perfect for STEM learners, science beginners, and anyone who loves “wait, what?!” moments.

Timestamps
0:00 Teaser – Backwards wheels?
0:15 What you’re seeing vs. what’s real
0:45 Frame-rate & sampling demo
1:20 Nyquist limit mind-blow
2:05 Try it yourself challenge


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• Have you ever captured a reverse-spin clip? Drop the frame-rate you used!
• What everyday physics mystery should we decode next?


Ever wonder why wheels appear to spin backwards in videos? It's not magic, but the result of physics and the way cameras use a specific shutter speed. This video breaks down the stroboscopic effect, where our eyes fill in the gaps between frames, leading to weird but true visual illusions