Mirror image reversal - why only l/r, not up/down

AI Thread Summary
Mirrors do not actually reverse images left to right or up and down; they reverse in and out. The perception of left/right reversal occurs because people unconsciously rotate their orientation to face the mirror image, which results in a mental flip. This rotation emphasizes the left/right distinction due to our symmetrical nature, making it a more intuitive interpretation. In contrast, flipping the image about the horizontal axis for up/down reversal is less common since we rarely perform that rotation. Thus, the perception of left/right reversal is a product of our cognitive processing rather than a property of mirrors themselves.
judgecrater
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what explains the fact that mirrors only reverse an image left to right, not up and down?
 
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Mirrors don't reverse either of those.
 
They reverse in/out. The reason it seems the left/right directions are reversed is because when we decide which hand our image is raising, we unconsciously put ourselves in its place, which involves rotating our orientation around our vertical axis so we face the same direction, undoing the in/out flip at the cost of a left/right flip (in our minds eye). We might just as easily flip about our horizontal axis and decide up/down is flipped, but since we are more or less symmetrical left to right (and also since we rarely physically perform that rotation), that is a much less natural choice.
 
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