Why do mirrors reverse things horizontally, but not vertically?
Asked by
phoenyx (
7401
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August 23rd, 2009
For example, when you look in a mirror and raise you left hand, your reflection will raise its right. However, both are raised.
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9 Answers
They don’t “reverse” anything, they just reflect back the light that bounces off of you. Imagine a beam of light bouncing off of your right hand, hitting the mirror, and then coming back to you.
Really looking forward to some good answers here.
Was thinking of this last week.
I even used to know the answer to it, but those cells containing it must have died some time ago….
look at an ink stamper, if it has lettering on it it’s usually backwards on the stamper, but when you press it to paper the stamp is forward, it’s the same concept, just with light instead of ink.
They reverse to your other eye. So, when you are standing they reverse left and right. If you are lying on your side, they reverse up and down (which is still your left and right)
It is not in the mirror, it is in you.
Ivan has the right idea. Mirrors don’t do any reversing. In fact, if you think about it, what the mirror does is simply replicate, exactly, what’s in front of it. It doesn’t flip anything. What’s on your right side is still on your right side, and vice versa. so, what’s on top stays on top.
If you want something to reverse you vertically, try looking at a curved surface like the bowlly side of a spoon.
@laureth concave, lol, but bowly works too.
Just try to imagine the photons as tiny balls bouncing between you and the mirror, and conceptualize their path. Nothing is being reversed. The transmission is direct.
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