QUESTION = How does the rear view mirror work after flipping it up at night? GENERATION = There are two reflective surfaces on the front mirror, one is front facing and one is back facing. When you flip the mirror up, you are exposing the back surface of the mirror to the front surface of the glass, so you can see the light reflecting off of it. This is why when you look through a mirror at night, it appears to be dark. The light from the front surface of the glass is reflecting off of the glass, so you don't see it. The light from the back surface of the glass is reflecting off of the glass, so you see it. This is why it appears to be dark when you look through a mirror at night. So, when you flip the mirror up, you are exposing the front surface of the glass to the back surface of the glass, so you can see the light reflecting off of it. When you flip the mirror down, you are exposing the back surface of the glass to the front surface of the glass, so you don't see it. This is why you see it as dark when you look through the mirror at night. TL;DR - the front surface of the glass is reflecting light. RETRIEVAL #0 = Rear-view mirror---that is wedge-shaped in cross section—its front and rear surfaces are not parallel. On manual tilt versions, a tab is used to adjust the mirror between "day" and "night" positions. In the day view position, the front surface is tilted and the reflective back side gives a strong reflection. When the mirror is moved to the night view position, its reflecting rear surface is tilted out of line with the driver's view. This view is actually a reflection off the low-reflection front surface; only a much-reduced amount of light is reflected into the driver's eyes. "Manual tilt" day/night mirrors first began appearing in the 1930s and became standard equipment on most passenger cars and trucks by the early 1970s. Section::::Anti-glare.:Automatic dimming. In the 1940s, American inventor Jacob Rabinow developed a light-sensitive automatic mechanism for the wedge-type day/night mirror. Several Chrysler Corporation cars offered these automatic mirrors as optional equipment as early as 1959, but few customers ordered them for their cars and the item was soon withdrawn from the option lists. Several automakers began offering rear-view mirrors with automatic dimming again in 1983, and it was in the late 1980s that they began to catch on in popularity. Current systems usually use photosensors mounted in the rear-view mirror to detect light RETRIEVAL #1 = Non-reversing mirror---angled to create a surface which curves and bends in different directions. The curves direct rays from an object across the mirror's face before sending them back to the viewer, flipping the conventional mirror image. A patent for a non-reversing mirror was issued to John Joseph Hooker in 1887. Section::::See also. BULLET::::- Corner reflector BULLET::::- Retroreflector Section::::External links. BULLET::::- "check your real image", free-non-reverse-mirror-site BULLET::::- See yourself as you really are BULLET::::- THE FACE; Do I Look Fat? BULLET:::: RETRIEVAL #2 = Mirror image---links. BULLET::::- Why do mirrors reverse images left to right? Why not up and down? BULLET::::- The same question explained a little differently, with examples BULLET::::- Why do mirrors flip horizontally (but not vertically)? BULLET::::- "Much ado about mirrors" (an academic paper about the psychology involved in the perception of mirror images) RETRIEVAL #3 = Laff Trakk---Going through more s-bend turns, you curve around and enter the final brake run featuring small fun house mirrors on each side of the car. At this point your ride vehicle spins to its neutral position and the ability to spin locks. Section::::See also. BULLET::::- 2015 in amusement parks RETRIEVAL #4 = The View from the Mirror---thing it is witness to. It is sometimes referred to as "The Glass", "The Twisted Mirror" or "The Mirror" by the characters. Section::::References. BULLET::::- Irvine, I. (2001). "A Shadow on the Glass", Camberwell:Penguin Books RETRIEVAL #5 = Cadillac XT5---to the rear camera mirror and electronic precision shifter. RETRIEVAL #6 = Wing mirror---behind, when in fact it is quite a bit closer. In the United States, Canada, India, Korea and Australia, non-planar mirrors are etched or printed with the warning legend . In Canada, this warning is often supplemented by a transparent decal on the passenger side window repeating the warning in French: . In Korea, the warning appears in Korean. Warnings of this nature are not required in Europe. Section::::Planar, convex, aspheric.:Other requirements. Most side mirrors may be manually or electrically folded in, to protect them when the car is parked or being washed in an automated car wash. Passing cars can easily clip protruding wing mirrors; the folding capability helps protect them from harm. ECE Regulation 46 requires that side mirrors be mounted such that they swing away when struck by a test cylinder meant to represent a pedestrian. Until 1983, Japanese Ministry of Transport did not allow to register cars without mirrors on front fenders, so the mirrors were mounted far forward atop the front fenders. More recent Japanese-specification vehicles have side mirrors similar to those in other countries. U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 requires that convex side view mirrors must have a curvature radius of between 889 mm and 1651 mm. Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 stipulates a range of between 890 mm and 1800 mm. Neither the U.S.