Parallel Lines Will Never Ever Meet: Is Mathematics Wrong?

4:25 AM |

Photo taken by: Jay-Ar Alejandro

Try to look at the two vertical lines in the photo above. These are parallel lines. According to Mathematics, two parallel lines will never ever meet. That is true. But, have you ever asked why these lines seem to converge or come together upon looking them at a distance? This is what we call, Perspective Convergence. As distance increases, the more that the observer sees that the two parallel lines seem to converge or come closer together. This is a pictorial cue that provides depth information that can be depicted in the photo. (Source: Goldstein, E.B., Perceiving depth and size. Sensation and Perception. © 2010 pp. 231-232)

In a more realistic setting, this is what exactly happens when one looks at a road or a railway as seen in the photos below.