Your eyes and brain assume that the light has traveled in a straight line to reach your eyes, so you see an image of your face out there in front of or behind the mirror. When you look into a mirror, you see your image because light reflecting from your face bounces off the mirror and back into your eyes (click to enlarge the diagram below). But mirrors and other shiny objects change the path of the light, bouncing it back in an organized fashion. When you make a visual picture of the world, you assume that the light entering your eyes has traveled in a straight line to reach you. You see these words, for example, because light from the screen or reflected off the printed page enters your eyes and makes an image on your retina. You see the world because light gets into your eyes. When you are far away, it will wink its right eye. When you are close, the image will wink its left eye. Wink your right eye and notice how the image in the mirror responds. Notice how the image changes when you move closer to and farther from the mirror. Now orient the cylindrical mirror so its long axis is vertical. The easiest way for your partner to get this effect is to turn around, bend over as far as possible, and look back at you from there.) If the image is upside down, your partner’s head will have to be upside down, too. (If you have trouble deciding which eye in the image is winking, have someone stand beside the mirror and do what the image does-that is, wink the same eye as the image. When it’s upside down, the image winks its right eye. When you are close to the mirror and your image is right side up, the image winks its left eye. Which eye does the image wink? The image may wink its left eye or its right eye, depending on how far your face is from the mirror. When you move far enough away from the mirror, your image will flip upside down. Notice how the image changes when you move closer to or farther from the mirror.
![mirror reflection mirror reflection](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/reflection-in-broken-mirror-of-model-wearing-horst-p-horst.jpg)
Position yourself so that you can clearly see a reflection of your face. Curve the Mylar slightly and look into the mirror. Hold the cylindrical mirror so that its long axis is horizontal.