Mirror Reflection

Finding the reflected image of a shape across a horizontal or vertical axis.

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Finding the reflected image of a shape across a horizontal or vertical axis.

Mirror reflection (or flip) creates a reversed image of a shape across an axis. A horizontal mirror flips the shape top-to-bottom (like looking in a pond). A vertical mirror flips left-to-right (like a standard mirror). Unlike rotation, reflection reverses the 'handedness' of a shape—asymmetric shapes become their mirror opposites.

reflection(shape, axis) = shape flipped across axis

Vertical mirror: left features move to right, right to left
Horizontal mirror: top features move to bottom, bottom to top
Letter 'b' becomes 'd' with vertical mirror, 'p' with horizontal

How to recognize it

Identify which axis the mirror is along
Vertical axis: swap left and right
Horizontal axis: swap top and bottom
The shape should look like its reflection, not a rotation

Common mistakes

Confusing reflection with 180° rotation
Mixing up horizontal and vertical axis effects
Forgetting that asymmetric shapes change 'handedness'

Step-by-step walkthrough

The letter 'F' is reflected across a vertical mirror line. What does the reflected letter look like?

Identify the mirror axis: vertical means left and right will swap.
Examine the original 'F': the vertical stem is on the left, and horizontal bars extend to the right.
Apply the reflection: swap left and right positions of all features.
The vertical stem moves to the right side, and horizontal bars now extend to the left.

Answer: A backwards F with the stem on the right and bars extending left

Practice guidance

Spatial Reasoning