answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

It's an optical illusion. I noticed it often as a child watching Western movies - sometimes it seemed as if the wagon wheels were turning backwards as they tried to outrace the Indians.. I believe it has to do with the frames-per-second speed of a film camera and the rotational speed of the wheel - at some point a relationship exists where the wheel appears to be turning normally - and then as the wagon or car or whatever, speeds up, it gets ahead of the speed of the film moving past the lens of the camera somehow, and the wheel appears to be turning backwards. I don't think you'd notice this in a video or other mode of capturing moving images - it's probably only an artifact of film cameras which have film moving past an aperture at a fixed rate.

User Avatar

Wiki User

16y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why do car wheels seem to be turning backward on TV?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Is there a lot of friction on an accelerating car?

Absolutely, as there is air resistance, the stickiness of the car's wheels, and the friction of the axles turning the wheels.


Why does a car move forward while traveling on a road even though it's wheels are equipped to spin backward?

The wheels only appear to spin backwards.


What causes rear end of car not want to turn when turning?

If effort is not given to steering wheel, front wheels also would not turn. When a turn is taken, no such effort is given to rear wheels for turning because the cars are usually front wheeled steered. So it is the inertia of the wheels and the car which causes the rear end of the car not want to turn when turning and they usually slip.


What does it mean when your steering wheels makes noise when turning?

the car may be low on power steering fluid


When parked heading uphill with no curb?

Turn wheels to edge of road. If car starts to roll backward down hill, it will back off of the road.


Which force actually moves the car?

The force that moves a car is the engine's power, which is transferred to the wheels through the transmission system. As the engine burns fuel, it generates energy that pushes the car forward by turning the wheels.


What stops car from moving forward or backward?

What stops a car from moving forward or backward


What helps a car go straight?

Power Steering 2nd Answer: True, but automobiles have their turning wheels angled toward the rear of the car, just like the front wheels of a shopping cart. Friction between tires and road work to keep the turning wheels lined up back to front, and it takes a little effort to turn the wheels away from their normal back-front alignment. The effort to turn the wheels is much less if the auto has . . . Power Steering per the above answer!


How does gasoline power your car?

A mixture of gasoline and air enters the cylinders where it is ignited by a spark plug. The explosion, or combustion it creates, drives the piston downward turning a crankshaft which turns the transmission which in turn powers the drive wheels on the vehicle propelling it forward or backward. This is why the engine is called an internal combustion engine.


Why the does the rpm on your 1995 Nissan Altima goes up but car wont move?

The RPM in the car measures the rotations per minute the engine's crankshaft turns, not the turning of the wheels. This means that if the car isn't moving, it's solely on the axles or wheels, no matter what make or model car it is.


How do you know your car needs power steering fluid?

Notchy feel when turning the steering wheel Noise from the pump area when wheels are turned Possible stiffness when turning steering wheel.


Why does your car jerk when you let go of the clutch?

cause when you let go of the clutch the wheels start turning. holding the clutch keeps it in neutral.