Have you ever wondered why normal mirror reflections are always along a vertical axis and not a horizontal one? That is, in a normal mirror reflection, the left becomes right and the right becomes left, but the image does not become upside down
2007-01-09 21:50:52 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Okay, I had a think and I think I've worked this out. This is to do with the virtual image:
The image you are seeing is not 'on' the mirror, it is behind the mirror the same distance from the mirror as the object, just in the opposite direction. Let's do some experiments to show how this works:
Consider writing something on a piece of paper, then rotating it 90 degrees. Now look at it in a mirror. The writing is still backwards, so the imaginary flipping mechanism does work in all directions.
Now, consider writing something on a piece of glass with a magic (permanent) marker. Just write hello. Turn it round so that you are looking at the word 'hello' through the glass backwards. Now put a mirror on the other side. Do you see how the mirror image of the writing and the writing on the glass are the same?
That is why things appear to 'flip' in the horizontal axis and not the vertical. It isn't that the image is flipped, it's just you are looking behind you without turning your head, so what is on the right of your face is being viewed on the right of the mirror, what is on the left of your face is being viewed on the left of the mirror, what is above you is viewed above you and what is below you is viewed below you.
So you see, the image isn't flipped at all, it is merely translated in front of you. and you are looking at things as though you were standing behind them and only the front face of them can be seen.
This is called a virtual image. It isn't an inversion, it's a translation.
PS: george, that is because of the lens, not a mirror.
PPS: golden_eagle1234, can I have 10 points now please?
2007-01-09 21:58:43 · answer #1 · answered by Mawkish 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The mirror reflects what is in front of it, nothing more nothing less,
if you have a light on the left and point it to the centre of the mirror it will reflect to the right.
if you have a light at the bottom of the mirror and point it to the centre of the mirror, it will reflect towards the top.
so in answer to your question the mirror does invert vertically and horizontally.
2007-01-09 23:48:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's true only for symmetrical objects having vertical symmetry axis. Objects with horizontal symmetry axis will be reflected along a horizontal axis.
2007-01-09 22:10:37 · answer #3 · answered by oleg_arch 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ever seen what the studio photographer sees when he ducks behind the black cloth of his old camera? He sees an upside down picture!
2007-01-09 22:07:11 · answer #4 · answered by george 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Maybe it has something to do with the axis of the Earth?
Hold the mirror sideways?
2007-01-09 22:01:22 · answer #5 · answered by Wizard of Oz 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
because we say that the image is laterally inverted.
2007-01-09 22:08:45 · answer #6 · answered by Arnaq 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋