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Why are mirror images flipped horizontally but not vertically?
Why is it that when you look in the mirror left and right directions appear flipped, but not the up and down?
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2 Answers
Imagine a mirror placed on the floor. Your face, looking at it, will be pointed downwards; but the face "in the mirror" is "looking" up.
The other answers here are great — I just wanted to make sure we discard the assumption that the mirror is placed on a wall!
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Left and right is relative to you only but not to the rest of your environment (including the mirror), but up and down is static for the whole environment including you and the mirror.
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Why are mirror images flipped horizontally but not vertically?
Why is it that when you look in the mirror left and right directions appear flipped, but not the up and down?
3,9073 gold badges16 silver badges9 bronze badges
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Imagine a mirror placed on the floor. Your face, looking at it, will be pointed downwards; but the face "in the mirror" is "looking" up.
The other answers here are great — I just wanted to make sure we discard the assumption that the mirror is placed on a wall!
2492 silver badges3 bronze badges
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