Why Do Mirrors Reverse Left and Right, But Not Up and Down?

Imagine you're facing a mirror, and you raise your right hand. In the mirror, it looks like your left hand is raised. It's like the mirror sees you from behind, it flips everything horizontally but not vertically. So instead of seeing a left-right flip, it’s more like a front-to-back switch that makes it look like your left and right are swapped.

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Examples

  1. Your reflection raises its left hand when you raise your right one.
  2. You see the mirror flip your image like it’s looking at you from behind.
  3. Your reflection still has your head on top and feet at the bottom.

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