Mirrors don't actually flip left and right, it feels that way because of how we look at them. Imagine you're facing a mirror, and you raise your right hand. The mirror shows the image of your raised hand on its own right side, but since you're looking straight ahead, your brain thinks it's your left hand being raised in the mirror. It’s like seeing yourself from behind! That’s why mirrors seem to flip left and right, even though they don’t actually do anything special with up or down.
Examples
- If you raise your right hand in front of a mirror, it looks like your reflection raised its left hand.
- A mirror doesn't flip a picture upside-down if you hang it on the wall, just left and right.
- Your reflection seems to be wearing a shirt backwards because the mirror flipped everything horizontally.
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See also
- How Does REFLECTION OF LIGHT Work?
- How Mirrors Reflect Objects Even When There's Space Between Them
- Why Do Mirrors Reflect Only One Side?
- Why Do We See Mirrors as Ourselves?
- Why Do Mirrors Reflect But Not Absorb?