History and Physics of Pepper s Ghost

Abstract

This article approaches the importance of optical illusions in the Physics teaching, particularly the classical illusion known in Brazil as Monga s house ( Pepper s ghost in English). A historical retrospective on the inclusion of optical illusions as an issue of relevant educational importance in the science teaching is presented to the reader as a way of introduction to the theme. Then, the very history of the invention and development of Pepper s Ghost apparatus and the debate involving Professor John Henry Pepper and the Engineer Henry Dircks in the cultural context of Victorian England are discussed. The proper functioning of the apparatus is explored in order to understand the physics that exists underneath. At the end, some tentative forms of understanding the working of the referred apparatus are discussed with the use of some other supplementary experiments.