There are other “impossible constructions” you may have seen at science museums that when viewed at a particular angle play with perspective and trick the eye.
This would feature a zig-zag water aqueduct flowing away from the viewer’s vantage point and spilling into a waterfall. In the foreground, at the beginning of the aqueduct, you have a glass tube rising up out of the water, the top of which is aligned, from the viewer's perspective, with the waterfall in the background. It would pump water up to the top where it would fall back down over the glass therefore obscuring it. Basically the “running faucet floating in space” trick you see at finer roadside attractions everywhere.
This would look like the water is flowing off in the distance to a waterfall that's falling into a catch basin in the foreground that flows off into the distance to a waterfall...etc. in an impossible loop.
The rest of the structure would be built around it in the same eye fooling style that when viewed from a peephole at the right vantage point will trick the eye into seeing the impossible.
Bun me or fish-bone me as you will, but definitely check out the links.-- doctorremulac3, May 30 2005 Impossible Escher constructions http://www.cs.techn...shon/EscherForReal/ [doctorremulac3, May 30 2005] Trick fountain http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3046791.stm [doctorremulac3, May 30 2005] "Floating" faucet http://fabulousfoun.../images/mystery.jpg [doctorremulac3, May 30 2005] (?) Penrose triangle http://collections....ts/inline/fig20.jpg [doctorremulac3, May 30 2005] The original print (Look at this first) http://www.petergh.f2s.com/escher.htm [doctorremulac3, May 30 2005] the lego version http://jay.shao.org...09/escher-via-legossome liberties taken with reality. [ato_de, May 31 2005] (?) 2 3d views that explain it all. http://www.comfort-temp.org/ [doctorremulac3, Jun 01 2005] I'm not getting it. Is this idea the same as the links, or something different?-- ldischler, May 30 2005 It's basically the first link with real running water added using something along the lines of the second and third link. The Escher print shows water falling from the background to the foreground and this is simulated by having a stand alone glass tube water fountain that makes it look like water is falling out of thin air. This is aligned with the waterfall in the background (covering it up) to achieve the effect of water falling in the background and landing in the forground. It's also important to remember the effect would only work viewed from one narrow angle. Hope that sort of helps. I've added a link to the penrose triangle which is a real simple impossible construction. I also added a link to the original waterfall picture which I probably should have put first.-- doctorremulac3, May 30 2005 So how would this be different from your second link, again?-- moomintroll, May 30 2005 I give up. Mine would be painted a slightly different color. Back to the drawing board. (But first, a quick stop by the local milk bar for a little milk-plus to sharpen me up.)-- doctorremulac3, May 30 2005 I believe I've just found the perfect water feature for my back yard. I'll have to somehow turn it into a water clock, of course, but it'll be real horrorshow when it's done.-- justaguy, May 31 2005 [justaguy], you've really been talking up your waterclock. I, for one, am wired from the anticipation.
I'll be the first to say, can we turn it into a mobius fountian too? And can the clear water tube be a klein bottle?-- daseva, May 31 2005 Wasn't that cool, that thing I saw in the picture? Wouldn't it be neat if it were real?
(I think Mr. Dyson should get the credit for this one.)-- DrCurry, May 31 2005 I made a diagram since it's a little hard to describe in words evidentally. Look at the last link: "2 3d views that explain it all". It's a crappy little jpg drawing but it gets the idea across.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 01 2005 A nice idea if you could pull it off. Where would you have it though? Hotel lobby? Town centre?-- kuupuuluu, Jun 01 2005 Yea, all the above but more likely a science museum exibit.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 01 2005 I dunno... I'm generally unhappy with the way the supports turned out in that model. It just doesn't seem true enough to the original. I'm working on a better illusion now...-- justaguy, Jun 01 2005 random, halfbakery