If a mirror reverses the image side-to-side, why not top-to-bottom?

Question

We're all familiar with how a flat plane mirror reverses our image, creating a "mirror image". So how come you don't see your feet where your head should be?

What if you lie on your side and look in a mirror? Does up become down?

What is a mirror really reversing?

Answer 1

It reverses back to front.

Answer 2

The mirror image is not a real image.For those instrument that forms real image the image reverses top to bottom,ex: convex lens,spherical mirror... but for the image that is not a real one there is no change in top or bottom.



Actually the image is the sum of lots of points acts as light source ..and the mirror creates its image at the same distance on the either side of it.. draw a picture with proper scaling it must be easy to understand and you can see how the image reverses.

Answer 3

But a mirror doesn't reverse side to side.



Think about it. It reflects a perfect image of what you see. What is close to the mirror, is close in the reflection.



If you raise your right arm, you see your reflection raising "his" left arm, but for you, it's still the arm on the right.



What you mean is a reflection "back to front", which looks a bit similar to "left to right".

Answer 4

because we turn our head horizontally. if we point a camera at a mirror and turn it vertically back we see it reverse top-to-bottom but it don't reverse it side-to-side now.

really it's our head that reverse every time and when mirror show correct picture we think it's reverse.