enigmas(hope Ive spelt it right )

Watched a film tonight which had a car chase and noticed that although everything else moving in the film was going the right way, the wheels on the cars were all going backwards,??? can anyone explain why.

I've read about this before, and I think this may be the answer:

http://www.wonderquest.com/wagon-wheels.htm

It's an optical illusion created by the rate at which the film passes through the camera, usually at 24f/seconds, this clashes with the sequential scanning system of tv's

hy aitch i remember the old cowboy films the wheels on the wagons always went backwards i think it had something to do with the film they used.

I cant answer that one aitch.But do you remember those foreign films where their mouths were not moving in unison to the words being spoken.I think that they were old martial arts films.How i laughed.!

Re Dave C's reply, that's what I thought too, but you will see the effect in real life as well, so it can't be just be to do with the way film is made. Hmmm...

It happens because of the strobe affect that's created. If you have ever heard of(Eddie Current)you'll know what I mean.

The Human Mind is a complex machine but then again it's easy to trick. Take the picture below,it looks like it's moving but it isn't.
"Very strange indeed."

Billyj1 is correct in that the appearance is the same in real life. I've noticed especially with certain types of wheel trim that the wheels appear to be turning in reverse.

I first noticed this happening on wagon train, when the wagons started rolling there wheeels went backwards.

And they where big wheels that didnt go fast so you easily see the backwards movement.

Mollie there are some wheel trims which are loose fitted to do the thing you say which is to go backwards.