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Ever tried to read text in a mirror? Why is the word AMBULANCE flipped horizontally on ambulances and not vertically? Why is ƎƆ ИA⅃UᙠMA and not ∀WB∩Г∀ИCE or ƎƆ
by 0-_-0 6y ago
Ever tried to read text in a mirror? Why is the word AMBULANCE flipped horizontally on ambulances and not vertically? Why is ƎƆ ИA⅃UᙠMA and not ∀WB∩Г∀ИCE or ƎƆ N∀˥∩𐐒W∀?
- edflsafoiewq 6y agoWrite AMBULANCE on a piece of paper. Now turn the paper around so the word faces away from you. Hold it up to a light and you can see that the word is now flipped horizontally. Now face a mirror: the image is projected onto the mirror with no change, so you see the exact same thing you saw when it held it up the light. IOW the mirror is inessential. We can ask the same question about just a transparent piece of paper.
- 0-_-0 6y agoThat's because you flipped the paper horizontally not vertically. If you flipped it vertically it would be flipped verically. But you didn't flip the ambulance.
- paulsutter 6y agoThe text isnt reversed, you're seeing it from the back. The leading A and the trailing E are in the same right to left position that they are in the real sign. There is no reversal.
- 0-_-0 6y agoThat would also be true if the text was flipped vertically. So why is it flipped around horizontally and not vertically?
- paulsutter 6y agoUm, because it's not flipped around. Seriously, look at any text in the mirror. The rightmost feature of the text will be the rightmost feature in the mirror, and the leftmost will be leftmost. You would need to flip it horizontally to make it look "normal"
- 0-_-0 6y agoYes, it's mirrored horizontally. Why not vertically?