 We see objects in a mirror, because a mirror, when
hit by particles of light called photons, reflects the photons
back to us and some reach, and enter, our eyes. Photons that
hit a rough surface will bounce off of the surface in a
haphazard manner, while those that hit a smooth surface, such
as a mirror, only bounce off of the surface at the same angle
at which they hit the object. The scientific term for this
phenomenon is reflection.
Not all smooth surfaces reflect photons back to us, even
though, technically, they should bounce back at the same angle
at which they hit the surface. This exception to the rule
results, because some smooth surfaces absorb the light
particles hitting them, making it impossible for them to
bounce back.
Another apparent exception to this rule is that, although
our bodies are rough, uneven surfaces, off of which light
bounces at random angles, our images reflect off of a mirror.
The reason for this apparent contradiction is simply that when
we stand in front of a mirror, some, but not all, of the light
particles bouncing off of us will hit the smooth surface of
the mirror. The ones that do reflect our images back to our
eyes at exactly the same angle at which they hit the
mirror.
In other words, photons that bounce off of any part of our
bodies and hit the mirror reflect back to our eyes from only
one place on the mirror, and at only one angle. It follows
that each point on our bodies that reflects back to our eyes
from one point on the mirror produces an image in the mirror.
All of the images together make up our reflections, like it or
not. And remember that mirrors don't lie! |
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