An Inverted Mirror Image An interesting puzzle can be presented by printing near the top of a blank card in red letters
CHECICEI) OK while printing nenr the bottom of the card
NOT RIGHT in blue letters. A glass stirring rod (not glass tubing) is placed over the red printing and raised slightly so the printing may be viewed conveniently. Under these e~rrumstznces,the printing comes though without apparent distortion. When the blue printing is viewed in a similar manner, the printing appears quite garbled. Incorrect but ingenious explanations are given by the uninitiated to explain this effect. One such explanation i. that the effect results from the difference in the wavelengths for the two separate colors. The correct explanation is that the glass rod transmits the original image in the form of a n inverted mirror image. The inverted mirror image of only a few letters appears undistorted. These letters are all symmetrical about a. horizontal axis.
558
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Journal of Chemical Education
