That illusion created by distorting mirrors can range from amusing to horrific. In reality it is the mirrors that are distorted, with bumps, hollows and curves. Because each part of a person is a reflected in different sections of the mirror, the legs maybe long and thin, the stomach short and wide, while other bits maybe upside down.
Mirrors work by reflecting light rays from our bodies back to our eyes. A flat mirror reflects them evenly, but a distorting mirrors sends them back at strange angles.
A bulging – or convex – surface makes things look smaller. A car’s rear view mirror is often slightly convex to give a wider view. A concave surface – curving inwards – gives a magnified image. An example is a shaving mirror.
When you see an image of yourself in the mirror, your brain assumes that the rays have come direct to your eyes without being reflected. It is as though a person identical to you were standing behind the mirror. In a normal mirror, your other self seems to be the same distance behind as you are in front.
A convex mirror make rays diverge and your image appears to be smaller. A concave mirror makes rays converge. Your image appears to be larger.
Picture Credit : Google