How does a mirror work?

Question

I know it reflecs but how?

Answer 1

A mirror reflect back an image of whatever is in front of it. The reflected image is made up of particles of light called photons.
When a photon of light hits a mirror it cause the electrons in the atom to vibrate and give off and identical photon of light. Metals work better as mirrors because they have many electrons shared by all the metal atoms, but the atoms in glass don’t share their electrons very well with their neighbors.
Mirrors need to be smooth so that the light is reflected goes straight back to where it came from, instead of being scattered in a different direction.

Most mirrors in our everyday life have three layers. The bottom layer is a dark, protective layer. The middle layer, the most important part, is made of a metal, usually aluminum (just like soda pop cans). The top layer is glass, because its clear and it protects the smooth aluminum layer.

Answer 2

A mirror works by reflecing your image when you look into it. A mirror is a plain sheet of glass which is painted on one side with mercury paint that produces a mirror appearance.

Answer 3

lets see... how does a mirror reflect light.. on the surface it's a question similar to why is water wet. It kind of just does. The light rays that hit the surface of a mirror kind of just bounce off.

so why aren't other objects mirrors.. well, to have a mirror you need the reflective surface to be flat, and you need it to be shiny. If you fulfill those 2 requirements, then just about anything can be used as a mirror. Before we had glass mirrors people used polished metal surfaces as mirrors.

Answer 4

I am confused as to how mirrors work too. When I look in the mirror my right hand becomes my left hand and vice versa, but my head stays at the top and my feet stay at the bottom. Is this because mirrors only work in a certain plane as if I turn on my side then the left hand which is on top becomes my right hand on top. ooooh this is soooo confusing

Answer 5

Your subconcious communicates with the mirror, kinda "who is the most beautiful of this planet?", then the mirror replies to your subconcious and gives you the mood. The problem comes when your start to show your as.s to the mirror....

By the way the layer is Aluminium, then glass. Not Mercury or Copper.

The wavelenghts of light are bounced back due to these layers' opacity and refractive index, which allows you to see objects (bounced back) just as you see objects normally.

Answer 6

Mirrors work generally because they are metallic and great conductors which means an abundance of mobile electrons. Since there are so many of them they respond very quickly to applied electromagnetic fields and they do it in such as way as to counteract the applied field. In other words, they generate their own electromagnetic fields equal and opposite to the applied field internal to the conductor and external to the conductor we see it as a reflected wave

Answer 7

It is painted with copper not Mercury. Mercury is poisonous. If you break a mirror you will see the colour of the Mercury. Don't know exactly how it works. Mercury is, or was used in thermometers

Answer 8

It reflects light as opposed to absorbing it. That's how. Nothing special to explain, just that the light waves bounce off it.

Actually, mirrors are commonly made with rhubidium.

Answer 9

Light bounces of you and onto the mirror where the reflected light leaves an image of you
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/refln/u13l1c.html

Answer 10

It works with your subconscious, in your subconscious you ask it "mirror mirror will you reflect upon my personage", if it likes what it sees, it reflects kindly. If however you are ugly and covered with warts etc, it will reflect you in a most unkindly manner. It all happens in an instant. Its true.