Often, it’s silly songs, dances and memes that go viral on TikTok. However, the latest trend actually has to do with science, or people’s lack of knowledge about it. Baffled by a reflection ‘trick’, we have the TikTok mirror trend explained for all those confused.
It’s stumped some and frustrated others, but clearly, fewer people than we thought know how reflections work. After a video went viral on TikTok with some teens confused at a reflection, hundreds joined the debate to either join in the bafflement or roll their eyes at the situation.
How The Mirror Reflection Trend First Started
It all began after a group of teens filmed a video similar to the one below. They were pretty confused about how you could see the reflection of an object in the mirror when there was a piece of paper in between.
There are lots of different mirror trends on TikTok, with the hashtag having over 115 million views. However, the latest one has people a lot more confused than the other trends.
After seeing the ‘trick’, comments were filled with people who either agreed or ridiculed the people for being so confused.
Many people recreated the hilarious video with their own versions and some even used it to explain how physics works.
If you were one of the ones baffled by ‘how the mirror knows’ the object is there, don’t worry you certainly aren’t alone. It’s not magic and mirrors aren’t sentient…it’s just how mirrors work.
The TikTok Mirror Trend Explained
If you’re stumped or want a thorough explanation as to why you can see an object obscured by some paper, then we’ve got you covered.
It’s all to do with light and where you’re standing in relation to the object and the mirror.
Basically, you can see the reflection of objects because the light coming off the item is reflected in the mirror. Light bounces off the object, is reflected into the mirror and your eyes see it.
The mirror doesn’t ‘see’ or ‘know’ anything, it can only reflect. So, if you’re putting a piece of paper between an object and a mirror and you stand in line with it, then you won’t see the object reflected because the paper is obscuring your view.
However, like the people in the trending videos, once you stand to the side, the light coming off the object can be reflected in the part of the mirror you can see. In this case, it’s also a well-lit room, so they’ll be light coming in and bouncing off from pretty much all angles. The paper is thin, so won’t obstruct the light still reaching the mirror.
Because of refraction, the light will bounce off the mirror. So, as long as you’re standing in the path of those light rays, you’ll be able to see the egg.
Technically, this is all about the angle of incidence. But that’s all you need to know to explain the TikTok mirror trend.
Hopefully, it now makes sense and you and physics are a little friendlier!