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Impossible objects

Explore impossible objects and figures: Penrose triangle, endless stairs, impossible cubes and more. Trace the geometry and discover how the drawings work. Convincing parts that cannot fit together.

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The collection

Impossible pentagon — Five plausible corners form an impossible pentagonal frame.

Impossible pentagon

Ibrahim Muizzuddin

Five plausible corners form an impossible pentagonal frame.

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Reutersvärd’s triangle — A triangle of blocks recalls Reutersvärd’s pioneering impossible figure.

Reutersvärd’s triangle

Oscar Reutersvärd; modern drawing by László Németh

A triangle of blocks recalls Reutersvärd’s pioneering impossible figure.

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Impossible hexagon — A six-sided beam loop carries impossible depth around its perimeter.

Impossible hexagon

Original uploader was Trilink at en.wikipedia

A six-sided beam loop carries impossible depth around its perimeter.

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Impossible pentagram — A five-pointed star is drawn as an impossible interlaced solid.

Impossible pentagram

AnonMoos

A five-pointed star is drawn as an impossible interlaced solid.

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A pale blue drawing of connected corners whose locally plausible edges cannot form a consistent solid.

Impossible Corners

Oscar Reutersvärd (1915 - 2002), Swedish graphic artist

You should experience a sense of perceptual confusion as you note the paradoxical nature of the corners.

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Impossible chair — A digitally altered chair gives its supports contradictory connections.

Impossible chair

TipFox

A digitally altered chair gives its supports contradictory connections.

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Impossible cube — A familiar cube frame acquires an impossible set of overlaps.

Impossible cube

M. C. Escher; modern redraw by 4C and Belbury

A familiar cube frame acquires an impossible set of overlaps.

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The impossible cuboid — A public sculpture appears to form an impossible cuboid.

The impossible cuboid

J. Verhoeff, D. Baas Becking, and P. Bakker; photograph by Wikifrits

A public sculpture appears to form an impossible cuboid.

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Impossible frame — A rectangular frame joins plausible corners into a contradictory whole.

Impossible frame

Nevit Dilmen

A rectangular frame joins plausible corners into a contradictory whole.

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Frequently asked questions

What is an impossible object?

An impossible object is a drawing whose parts suggest familiar three-dimensional shapes but cannot all connect as they appear to. The contradiction becomes clearer when you trace the whole structure.

Can a Penrose triangle be built?

It cannot exist as the ordinary solid the drawing suggests. A specially arranged model can create the appearance from one viewpoint, but its actual structure differs from the pictured object.

How do the Penrose stairs work?

The drawing joins plausible stair segments into an apparent loop that continually rises or falls. In ordinary space, a closed circuit cannot gain height at every step and return to its starting level.

Enlarged image from the selected gallery entry