If a mirror reverses an image horizontally from left to right, why don't it flip that same image vertically up and down?
2006-09-02 13:59:37 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The mirror doesn't really reverse your image. Wave your right hand. The hand on the right side of the mirror waves. If you face a friend who waves his right hand, the waving hand will be on your left.
2006-09-02 14:07:56 · answer #1 · answered by sojsail 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's an interesting question - the answer is not as simple as it appears, either.
When we print something on a piece of paper and look at its reflection in the mirror, it appears backward. This is simply because in order to look at the reflection, we have turned it "backward" toward the mirror.If you use tracing paper, you will clearly see that the mirror is showing you exactly what it "sees".
If you look at yourself in the mirror, your right arm is still on the right side and the same goes for you left arm. If we move our right arm, the arm on the right side of the mirror moves, but we perceive it as the left arm because our brain doesn't shift to "reflection" mode, and, indeed, if that were another person standing in front of us instead of our reflection, he would have to move his left arm in order to correspond with our right arm.
So as you can see, a mirror image is producing an image exactly as it "sees" it - the top is the top, the right is the right and so forth. It is how we perceive it that swaps the sides horizontally.
2006-09-02 21:31:45 · answer #2 · answered by LeAnne 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it doesn't flip anything. Mirrors don't have left or right sides like we do.
2006-09-02 21:07:40 · answer #3 · answered by WheeeeWhaaaaa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because our eyes are set horizontally, and not vertically.
2006-09-02 21:07:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋