Viewed from a certain angle, this cube appears to defy the laws of physics.

The impossible cube or irrational cube is an impossible object that draws upon the ambiguity present in a Necker cube illustration. An impossible cube is usually rendered as a Necker cube in which the edges are apparently solid beams. This apparent solidity gives the impossible cube greater visual ambiguity than the Necker cube, which is less likely to be perceived as an impossible object. The illusion plays on the human eye's interpretation of two-dimensional pictures as three-dimensional objects. A so-called impossible cube seen from an angle which produces an illusion of impossibility. ... A so-called impossible cube seen from an angle which produces an illusion of impossibility. ... Two famous undecidable figures, the Penrose triangle and devils pitchfork An impossible object is an object that cannot exist according to the known laws of nature, but has a description or representation suggesting, at first sight, that it can. ... The Necker Cube is an optical illusion first published in 1832 by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker. ...

Viewed from another angle, however, the non-impossibility of the shape is apparent—its cubic nature itself is an illusion.

In M.C. Escher's lithograph Belvedere, the figure of a boy seated at the foot of the building is holding an impossible cube; the rest of the scene is based on the same principle that makes the impossible cube. In the scene, a ladder from the inside of the first story leads to the outside of the second. However, this is not appreciated by the prisoner in the basement cell because the basement is a possible cuboid and he is unambiguously on the inside. A so-called impossible cube seen from an angle that makes the non-impossibility of the object apparent. ... A so-called impossible cube seen from an angle that makes the non-impossibility of the object apparent. ... Self-portrait (1943) by M.C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (Leeuwarden, June 17, 1898 – March 27, 1972 in Laren) was a Dutch mathematical artist known for his woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints which feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, and tessellations. ... Belvedere is a lithograph print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher which was first printed in May, 1958. ... In anatomy, the cuboid bone is a bone in the foot. ...

A doctored photograph purporting to be of an impossible cube was published in the June 1966 issue of Scientific American, where it was called a "Freemish Crate". 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published monthly since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ...

See also: Penrose triangle. The Penrose triangle The Penrose triangle, also known as the tribar is an impossible object. ...