Write your name on a piece of paper and hold it in front of a plane mirror such that the paper is parallel to the mirror. Sketch the image. What difference do you notice? Explain the reason for the difference.
When the name written on paper is held in front of a plane mirror, the image appears laterally inverted.
This means the left side appears on the right and the right side appears on the left. The letters appear reversed from left to right.
For example, if the name is written as 'AMAN', it would appear as 'NAMA' in the mirror image.
This happens because plane mirrors produce laterally inverted images, where the left and right sides are interchanged while the top and bottom remain the same.
Explanation
Section 11.6 explains lateral inversion in plane mirrors. Activity 11.8 demonstrates that when you raise your left arm, your image appears to raise the right arm. This left-right reversal is called lateral inversion. The chapter specifically mentions that 'ЭОИАЛUЯМА' is written on an ambulance so that it reads 'AMBULANCE' when viewed from the rear-view mirrors of vehicles ahead. This practical application demonstrates the lateral inversion property of plane mirrors.
Solution Steps
When a name written on paper is held in front of a plane mirror, the image appears laterally inverted.
Lateral inversion means the left side appears on the right and the right side appears on the left.
Example: 'AMAN' appears as 'NAMA' in the mirror image.
Plane mirrors produce laterally inverted images where left-right are interchanged but top-bottom remain the same.