The infinite ladder or Jacob’s ladder
How to play
Jacob’s ladder is a popular toy made of wooden blocks held together by strings or ribbons. When the ladder is held at one end, the blocks seem to cascade down the strings. This effect is a visual illusion resulting from one block after another flipping over.
It can be considered a kinetic illusion, in which the blocks seem to change position when they don’t. Its name, Jacob’s Ladder, comes from the biblical ladder to heaven mentioned in Genesis
How to play
A Jacob’s ladder is a folk toy consisting of blocks of wood held together by strings or ribbons. When the ladder is held at one end, blocks appear to cascade down the strings.
This effect is a visual illusion which is the result of one block after another flipping over. It may be considered a kineticillusion, where the blocks appear to change position when they do not. Its name Jacob’s Ladder comes from the biblical ladder to heaven, mentioned in Genesis
The history
How it works
Did you know?
?The arrangement of interlaced ribbons allows each block to act as if it were hinged to the next one at either of its two ends. The same mechanism is used in Rubik’s Magic, but with plastic filaments running diagonally across the squares, so that the squares can hinge along either of two adjacent sides.
Did you know?
?An arrangement of interlaced ribbons allows each block to act as if hinged to the next one at either of its two ends. The same mechanism is used in the 1980s toy Rubik’s Magic, but with plastic filaments run diagonally across squares, with the result that the squares can hinge along either of two adjacent sides.