Mirrors flip left and right because you face them head-on. Imagine looking in a mirror like it's your friend facing you. When you raise your right hand, your friend raises their left hand, so you see yourself as if you were flipped sideways. But your head and feet are still up and down, so they don’t flip! Mirrors don’t actually turn things upside down, just side to side.
Examples
- Raising your right hand in front of a mirror looks like you're raising your left hand.
- A cat looking into a mirror seems to raise its right paw even though it's actually using the left one.
- Drawing on a piece of paper and holding it up to a mirror shows your drawing flipped from left to right.
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See also
- Why Does Time Seem to Fly When You're Having Fun?
- What Causes the Sky to Change Colors at Sunset?
- What Causes the Northern Lights?
- What Causes a ‘Golden’ Sunset or Sunrise?
- How Does a Mirror Work Exactly?
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Categories: Physics · Reflection,Mirrors,Symmetry