Aliasing

/ˈeɪ.li.ə.sɪŋ/ noun

Definition

A technical error that happens when a digital signal is sampled too slowly, causing high-frequency information to appear as lower frequencies and create a distorted or jagged appearance.

Etymology

From 'alias' (Latin 'alius' meaning 'other'), combined with the '-ing' suffix. In signal processing, the term refers to false signals that appear to be something other than what they actually are.

Kelly Says

This is why wagon wheels look like they're spinning backward in movies—the camera's frame rate can't catch all the wheel's rotation, so it appears to move the wrong direction. It's the digital world playing a trick on our eyes.

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