WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS?!
QuoteWhen you look at words in a mirror, how come they're reversed left to right but not top to bottom? What's special about the horizontal axis?
Seriously, why? I've tried figuring it out, but I couldn't come to any reasonable explanation.
I've read something about it some days ago, here's the possible conclusion:
Look in the mirror.
Point to your left, and your reflection points to your left. Point to your right and your reflection points to your right.
I've just proven the mirror does nothing to the x axis.
Point up, and your reflection points up. Point down, and your reflection points down.
I've just proven the mirror does nothing to the y axis.
Point to your forward and your reflection points in the direction behind you.
Point to your reverse and your reflection points to your forward.
I've just proven the mirror reverses the z axis.
You have no ground to stand on disagreeing with any of this.
Here's an alternative.
Look in the mirror.
Point to your left, and your reflection points to their right. Point to your right and your reflection points to their left.
Point up, and your reflection points to their up. Point down, and your reflection points their down.
Point to your forward and your reflection points to their forward. Point to your reverse and your reflection points to in their reverse.
Then I've just proven the mirror reverses the x axis.
It seems to be a matter of perspective, but there has to be an absolute somewhere.
using that perspective...yeah, you could say so, but it's just a matter of light reflection - I think.
Check this link:
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/PY106/Reflection.html
Edit:
After reading some more articles regarding this issue, I can say: I'm "#$#%"#$# confused <.<
I read that mirrors flip the image, so it does change the X axis if you're using mirror's image point of view.
Flop would change Y axis :facepalm:
Now, why? As we're talking about flat mirrors, the angle from incident light is equal to the angle from reflected light.... but I'm still confused :<_<:
It doesn't reverse top to bottom OR side to side. It reverses front to back. Think in the third dimension.
http://www.quora.com/Mirrors/Why-does-a-mirror-reverse-things-horizontally-but-not-vertically
Ah, yes, that makes sense. :)