Chapter 9: Problem 19

If you hold up your right hand in front of a plane mirror, what do you see? (Be cautious now. Describe the image carefully.) If you're having trouble, place a tube of toothpaste or other object with writing on it in front of the mirror. Now what can you say? (The process you're witnessing is called inversion and is one of the common characteristics of plane mirrors.)

Short Answer

Expert verified

" Inversion, specifically lateral inversion, in plane mirrors refers to the characteristic whereby the image formed by the mirror is laterally flipped compared to the original object. When holding up a right hand in front of a plane mirror, the image appears as a left hand, demonstrating lateral inversion. Similarly, when an object with writing on it, like a tube of toothpaste, is placed in front of a mirror, the writing appears backward due to lateral inversion.

Step by step solution

A plane mirror is a flat mirror that reflects light to produce a virtual, upright image that is the same size as the object being reflected. For the current exercise, the plane mirror will be reflecting the image of the right hand and the object with writing on it. #Step 2: Observing right hand's reflection#

Hold up your right hand in front of the plane mirror. Observe the reflection carefully. You will notice that the image you see in the mirror is a virtual, upright image of the hand. However, the image appears as if it's a left hand, meaning it is laterally inverted. This inversion is called "lateral inversion." #Step 3: Observing an object with writing on it#

Now, place an object with writing on it, like a tube of toothpaste, in front of the mirror. Observe the reflection carefully. You will notice the writing on the object appears backward in the mirror. This is also an example of lateral inversion. #Step 4: Understanding inversion in plane mirrors#

Inversion, or more specifically lateral inversion, is a characteristic of plane mirrors. It means that the image created by the mirror is laterally flipped compared to the original object. This is why the image of the right hand appears as if it's a left hand and the writing on the object appears reversed in the mirror.

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Short Answer

Step by step solution

Now, place an object with writing on it, like a tube of toothpaste, in front of the mirror. Observe the reflection carefully. You will notice the writing on the object appears backward in the mirror. This is also an example of lateral inversion. #Step 4: Understanding inversion in plane mirrors#

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