Physics: Two eyes are better than one

This week we investigated depth perception, the ability to perceive the world in 3 dimensions. We carried out a few tasks that require depth perception, and compared a subject's ability to do them with one eye vs. two eyes. For the most part, we found that depth perception requires the use of two overlapping fields of vision, i.e. two eyes as opposed to one, with the two eyes being located along side each other. After discussing our results, we talked about some of the challenges involved in comparing the use of one eye vs. two eyes. Next week the kids will design an experiment to test whether one uses depth perception in a game of catch. Hopefully the kids can use some of their critiques from this week to help them design a fairer and more controlled experiment next week.