Why do I see myself in a mirror?
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What other things can you see yourself in?
What about...?
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Transcript
You look into a mirror, and there you are, looking back. Why does that happen?
Light from the room or the sun bounces off your face and body. That light travels to the mirror, too.
Behind the mirror's glass is a smooth, thin layer of metal. The light bounces off it evenly, straight into your eyes.
Your brain thinks the light traveled straight from behind the mirror. That's why it looks like you're standing right there, inside the mirror.
Mirrors show you because the metal layer bounces light back all together, evenly.
For grown-ups: the science
The metal layer behind the mirror bounces the light from your face and body straight into your eyes, all at once.
Most flat mirrors are made by coating the back of the glass with a reflective metal layer, like aluminum or silver. Light bouncing off your face or body reflects off that metal layer and reaches your eyes. Because the brain assumes light travels in a straight line, it looks like there's an image behind the mirror. This image is a 'virtual image' - there's no real object back there. Mirrors don't flip left and right; they flip front and back, and it only feels like left and right are swapped because you're facing the person in the mirror.