Quick Answer:The Persistence of Vision Model is a parrot-and-cage thaumatrope: a 100mm double-sided disc that, spun rapidly on its threads or by a crank, makes the two pictures merge so that the parrot appears inside the cage.
Last updated: 18 October 2026
Key Features
100mm disc printed with a parrot on one side and a cage on the other.
High-contrast graphics.
Spun by a manual spin-thread or a crank.
Polymer or seasoned wood construction.
Technical Specifications
Specification
Value
Disc
Double-sided, parrot and cage graphics
Disc diameter
100mm
Material
Durable polymer or seasoned wood
Spinning
Manual spin-thread or crank
How It Is Used
Winding up the threads and pulling them sets the disc spinning so fast that each side is seen for only a moment. The brain keeps each image briefly, the two fuse into one picture, and students learn why a sequence of still frames in a film or animation looks like smooth motion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Persistence of Vision Model teach?
That the eye and brain hold an image briefly after it has gone. When the parrot and cage pictures alternate quickly, they are seen as one, the same effect that makes the still frames of a film appear to move.
.jpg)