Why Do Mirrors Flip You Left-to-Right But Not Top-to-Bottom?

Mirrors don't actually flip you, they just show the way light hits them. Imagine your face is a picture, and the mirror reflects it like a photo turned around. That's why it looks like you're flipped left-to-right but not top-to-bottom. It's all about how we move our eyes and heads when we look at something.

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Examples

  1. When you raise your right hand to wave at a mirror, it looks like your left hand is waving back.
  2. If you put a spoon next to the mirror, its reflection appears flipped horizontally but not vertically.
  3. Your face in the mirror seems reversed, but it still looks like your real face.

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