a reflected image in a mirror is inverted left to right but not top to bottom. my left hand appears on the right in a mirror reflected image. But, there is no inversion in the vertical direction...My head and feet don't get inverted...Why ?
2007-01-25 14:20:41 · 14 answers · asked by vg 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Your reflection in a standard mirror isn't inverted at all.
Your image is merely bounced straight back at you. This means when you move your right hand, the image appears to move its left. It isn't inverted.
If it were inverted, the mole you have left of your nose would appear on the image, left of its nose. And the lamp behind you to your right would appear behind and to the right of the image.
Think of it as a projection of a slide onto a canvas.
The mirror image works in the same way.
Only instead of the light running through you, it bounces off of you onto the mirror.
A concave mirror though, is different.
Because of its shape, it DOES invert the image. And totally.
For the effect, look into a spoon.
This is because of the numerous angles the surface of the concave mirror is at.
If you look at the bottom of the mirror, its surface angles light toward your eye that is coming from the top of your head, or above. Same with the top and sides.
Because of the angling, you become totally inverted on a concave mirror.
A mirror that would make you look, as someone would see you, is a mirror that is straight from top to bottom, but concave from left to right.
2007-01-25 20:22:51 · answer #1 · answered by Bloke Ala Sarcasm 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does not invert the image in either direction.
If you say have a book and want to view it in the mirror YOU invert it by turning it around to face the mirror and the mirror then reflects back the page precisely. If you could see through the paper to the pages facing the mirror they would look the same as the reflection. Of course, you do not also need to turn it upside down to make it face the mirror.
2007-01-25 19:51:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The image in a mirror is not inverted top to bottom or left to right. What is at the top remains at the top and what is on the left remains on the left. The image in a mirror is actually inverted back to front - think about it - so what was the person's right hand apparently becomes his left hand, but it is still on the right as you look at it!
2007-01-26 00:39:59 · answer #3 · answered by Martin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The previous answers are good, but if you haven't quite understood it yet, this may just add to your dilemma:
Turn your head sideways so that your left ear is uppermost and look in the mirror - your left ear in the mirror is now at the bottom. If you laid down on your side and looked in the mirror, the left to right stays the same, but top to bottom changes over (but only in your mind). Everything has really stayed in the same place it is just your perspective. Paint your left ear red and look in the mirror - it will look as if your right ear is red (any way up) but it is still your left ear. Left and right, top to bottom are only relative positions from one viewpoint. Once reflected in a mirror or lens, then left and right, or top and bottom do not correspond to the original viewpoint.
My mind is now well and truly boggled just thinking about it.
2007-01-26 10:11:42 · answer #4 · answered by Billy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question! I wish I could help. I did learn something about camera obscura, which is just explaining that the way the light bends against a reflective surface does that. But a bit of reflective surface that is caved in, like a spoon, is inverted top to bottom.
2007-01-26 17:09:44 · answer #5 · answered by Smo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if i recal;l correctly from my school days. it depends on the mirror.
as light generaly only travels in a straight line light is reflected (bounced off of your image) and either seen by other people around you ar in this example a mirror.
a flat mirror will produce a reflection or direct mirror image of any image that is sees.
however if you take a fun fair as an example the hall of mirrors can make you look diferently and in some can produce an upside down (in laymans) image of you for example. it is all down to the shape of the mirror or in the case of cameras the lens used.
I may be recalling wrong. so do not take this as gospel.
seek the help of a physics expert and may be seek out a physics text book from your local library for example.
it was a long time ago over 18 years since i had instruction on this subject and i was not not paying attention.
as does it realy matter as to why it happens. nothing you can do to change it. so why worry about it. in my opinion.
there are more important things inlife to worry about than your reflection in a mirror.
2007-01-25 14:47:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi there,
A mirror is just reflecting the light source perpendicular to the mirror's surface. So depending on where you put the mirror, it just reflect whatever is directly in front of its shiny surface.
When you see yourself inverted, I assume that you stand in front of the mirror and thus having the light source coming from the direction of your back to your front. This back to front arrangement is actually causing you to see your image inverted.
To fix this, now put the mirror on your back. Now you will see that your image is no longer inverted, because the lights on both substance and image are now coming from the same side (from your front to your back).
Now to continue with your curiosity on the question: "Why isn't the image inverted in vertical direction ?" (Please read my explanation on the first paragraph again.) Of course it will invert you in the vertical direction ! . . . . . Who says no ? . . . .Again it will depend on where you put the mirror relative to you. OK I will get to the point now : Put the mirror, say, under your feet (or stand on it). Now you will find your image inverted in vertical direction and not inverted left to right. Do you get it ? Do you know why ?
cheers
Loda Kibra
2007-01-25 15:12:24 · answer #7 · answered by Loda 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you make an artificial 'eye' with a lens and a mirror - or if you could look inside a camera - you would see that it IS inverted top to bottom.
The brain is so amazing, that it turns it the right way up again.
There've been experiments done with special "spectacles" that turn the image the right-way around, so that it looks upside down to the person wearing them. After some time (days/weeks), the brain flips it around again.
And they say there's no God ..................
2007-01-25 14:40:17 · answer #8 · answered by John 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it does not reflect images left to right or top to bottom. since ur left is the mirrors right u seem to feel that ur image is reversed. i.e. ur left hand is the images right hand. but the top of u is also the top of the mirror and so u do not have any problem. thus the way to think is to stick to one notation.
2016-03-29 02:55:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are standing in front of a mirror and your left hand is on the right hand side of the mirror, you're doing something wrong.
What you see in the mirror is the view that everyone who looks at you has.
2007-01-25 14:38:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋