Have you ever wondered if mirrors really flip things from left to right? Well, it turns out that there’s a common misconception about mirrors that we’re here to debunk.
When we hold a book, newspaper, or any piece of writing up to a mirror, we see the text reversed. But here’s the thing: flat mirrors don’t actually flip things left to right. It’s just an illusion that our brains trick us into believing. Don’t believe us? We’ve got a video that proves it.
So, how do we prove that mirrors don’t flip things left to right? It’s simple. Grab something with a clear front and rear, like a directional object. Hold it in your hand with the front pointing to your right while facing the mirror. Guess what? The object in the mirror is also pointing to your right!
Now, you might be thinking, “If mirrors don’t flip things left to right, why does the text appear reversed?” Well, here’s the explanation. Mirrors actually create an inside-out version of our world. It’s like turning a left-handed glove inside out to make it fit on your right hand.
When light hits a mirror, it reflects at an angle. This is how we can see behind objects. But when we look straight at a mirror, it’s like looking at a flipped version of ourselves. The right side of our reflection needs to face the right side of our body.
And as for the flipped text, it’s because we’ve flipped the page when we try to read it in the mirror. If we could see through the page and the writing was on a thin sheet, it would appear the same both through the page and in the mirror.
Mirrors are fascinating contraptions with some mind-boggling physics behind them. They’re not just simple reflections, but rather complex tools that create an alternate version of reality.
Remember, all our “explainer” articles are fact-checked and confirmed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, we may edit, remove, or add information to keep it up to date.
