Why Do Mirrors Flip Left & Right (but not up & down)? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Mirrors don't flip left and right, but rather they flip depth, and the appearance of flipped words in mirrors is because of our perception.

Key Insights

• 🗯️ Mirrors primarily flip depth, not left and right or up and down.
• 🪩 The flipped appearance of words in mirrors is due to how we position objects in front of the mirror.
• 🙂 Mirrors create the illusion of a parallel universe because they reflect light based on the principle of specular reflection.
• 🪩 Multiple mirrors or rotated mirrors can result in left-right or up-down flips.
• 🖐️ Our perception of mirrors and their effects plays a significant role in understanding their behavior.
• 🙂 Mirrors behave the same as windows into another world, reflecting light in the same way.
• 🐬 The flipped orientation of words in mirrors can be changed by flipping them in different directions.

Transcript

Mirrors are amazing - they turn walls into portals to another world! Well, our world, only slightly different. Like, you’ve probably noticed that words look backwards in a mirror, but they aren’t upside down - which is weird, because how would a mirror know to flip left and right but not up and down? Well, the short, annoying answer is that mirrors... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: Why do mirrors appear to flip left and right?

Mirrors only flip depth and not left and right. The flipped appearance of words in mirrors is due to how we orient objects that are then reflected in the mirror.

Q: How do mirrors create the illusion of a parallel universe?

Mirrors create the illusion of a parallel universe because they reflect light according to the principle of specular reflection, making it seem as if the light is behaving similarly to a window into another world.

Q: Can mirrors actually flip left and right?

A single mirror cannot flip left and right. The left-right flip occurs when there are multiple mirrors or if the mirrors are rotated, resulting in the inversion of left-right orientation.

Q: What determines the flipped orientation of words in mirrors?

The orientation of words in mirrors is determined by how we position objects in front of the mirror and whether we flip them left-right or top-bottom. Mirrors themselves do not flip the words.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mirrors do not actually flip left and right or up and down; they flip the direction into or out of the mirror, altering the depth perception.

• The phenomenon of flipped words in mirrors is due to our orientation and flipping of objects in front of the mirror, not the mirror itself.

• Multiple mirrors or rotation of mirrors can result in a left-right flip or an up-down flip.