Why do things look smaller far away?

Answer: Angle decreases with distance

Eyes compress distant objects — Wrong. Eyes don't compress anything. Objects appear smaller because they occupy a smaller visual angle (portion of retina) as distance increases.

Angle decreases with distance ✓ — Correct! Visual angle is the angle an object subtends at your eye. A tall building nearby fills large visual angle; far away, small angle. Your retina receives a smaller image because fewer light rays from the object converge at your eye. This is perspective geometry—angular size decreases with distance, even though actual size doesn't change!

Brain adjusts for perspective — Wrong. Brain does interpret perspective cues (size constancy), but objects physically occupy smaller retinal images due to reduced visual angle.