Why Do We See Mirrors as Ourselves?

Mirrors show you like you are, but flipped. Imagine looking into a window, the person on the other side sees you as you are, just upside down or sideways. Mirrors work the same way, they flip your image left-to-right, and that’s why you feel like it's you you're seeing, even though it's slightly different.

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Examples

  1. You smile at your mirror, it smiles back, but with your left side flipped to the right.
  2. Your mirror shows you drinking a glass of water, but your reflection seems to hold the glass in its other hand.
  3. You make a peace sign, your mirror image does too, but on the opposite side.

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Categories: Physics · optics· mirrors· vision· reflections