Why do mirrors flip horizontally (but not vertically)?

20 thoughts on “Why do mirrors flip horizontally (but not vertically)?”

1. 2:32 that escalated into a horror Movie real fast.

2. The left hand glove being put on your mirrors right hand is what made it click as what “z” direction was and how it was being reversed and not the horizontal. Interesting af

3. Thanks!

4. Ok the more I watched, the more questions I have, this isn't ok

5. I didn't quite understand.

6. this is the only video of your I found useless ,because we all know it but in much more simple *language and now people are doubting their understanding 😀

7. I think I just thought of an easy way to explain what mirrors do to text: write some text on see-through paper; turn the paper away from you (horizontally) and hold it up to a light. You should see the text flipped as in a mirror. The mirror isn't flipping the text. You are. It's just that you can't see that the text is flipped (from your perspective) without the aid of a mirror. It's all about perspective. Mirrors give us a perspective that we aren't normally able to see.
   Another way to think of it is that the text looks inverted because the mirror isn't flipping it. You see, in order for flipped text to appear normal there must also be a corresponding flip in perspective. So if you flip a paper with text on it to show someone, the person sees the text as normal because their perspective is also flipped in relation to your own. But the mirror exactly mirrors what is presented to it without flipping the perspective. So if you flip text to the mirror the mirror exactly mirrors the flipped text.

8. I can't help but see that almost 7000 Crackpots rated this video down.
   I am going to wage those are all anti science Republicans, probably Trump voters.

9. Wow, I never thought of that question.
   Interesting

10. this would have been easier to explain by just shwoing the raytracing paths of photons and how they bounce off a mirror

11. because the earth is flat

12. Loved it 😀

13. What if put mirror on the ceiling?

14. Lady ..now you flipped 😆 🤣 😂 lol

15. I am not gonna comment on this.

16. great video, thanks

17. Da

18. The best explanation of mirror-flipping case! Thank You

19. if you are confused:
    if you looked at your reflection and body in a different orientation it appears upside down.
    so it is the z direction

20. Why are posted images backwards?

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