Why Do Spinning Rims Appear to be Rotating Backward?
Many people notice that the spinning rims of a car shown in a commercial or film appear to spin backwards even though the car is clearly moving forwards. It is especially noticeable when the car is just beginning to speed up or slow down. During an extended shot of the car driving down an open highway, its spinning rims may even appear to stand still and then rotate backwards. There are actually several different optical illusions at work which cause spinning rims to appear to spin in reverse.
