Notes on the Illusions - Java Puzzlers: Traps, Pitfalls, and Corner Cases - page 325

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Ambiguous Figures
An ambiguous figure is a drawing that can be seen in two or more ways, though not at the same
time. One kind of ambiguous figure is a two-dimensional drawing that can be seen to represent one
of several different three-dimensional figures. The Ambiguous Cube (page 67) can be seen in three
ways: as a large cube with a small cubic region missing from one corner, as a small cube sitting
inside a corner of a larger one, and as a large cube with a small cube protruding from one corner.
Another kind of ambiguous figure is the figure-ground illusion , which is a drawing that can be seen
in two ways, depending on what you perceive as the figure and what you perceive as the
background. The drawings on pages 158 and 231 can be seen as black arrows pointing outward
against a white background, or as white arrows pointing inward against a black background. The
drawing on page 97 can be seen as white letters against a black background, or as black shapes
against a white background.
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