Reflestion

[Anup-Karki]

What is the cause of lateral inversion in plane mirrors?

[wildwood]

Reflection.

[Teddio]

Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection

[dundurn]

Strictly speaking there is no 'lateral inversion', it's a purely subjective view of what is happening. Top and bottom are not seen as inverted. If there was true 'lateral inversion' then a rear view mirror in a car would be useless. If you see a car approaching you in the right hand quadrant of your mirror they are on the right hand side of your car. If they indicate to move right you will see the trafficator light on your right hand side illuminate. Lateral inversion is caused by a subjective response to the mirror image; a recognition of the fact that if you turned through 180 degrees you and your image do not correspond with each other.

[New Judge]

When you face another person, your left hand is opposite their right, but you feet are not opposite their head. This is because they are facing the opposite way round to you.

So it is with a mirror image. You are simply facing another �person� who is facing the opposite way to you.

[chakka35]

As dundurn says, there is no inversion.

Face your reflection in a mirror. Touch the mirror with your left hand (say the one with the watch on) and it will touch your reflected left hand. Touch with your right hand (the one holding the glass) and it will touch your reflected right hand.

Your nose will touch your reflected nose and your feet your reflected feet. There is no inversion.