Fancy footworks Understanding funhouse mirrors

John M. Hood Jr.

The Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Museum has a number of displays for interactive use by children. One of the most puzzling (to children and adults alike) is the so-called "footwork" mirror. This small display on the second floor consists solely of a mirror curved around horizontal axes into a shallow "S" shape. It is placed at the wall so that, upon passing, one sees a short stubby leg hanging isolated in space with a foot on the top facing upward and another on the bottom more or less normally situated.

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