A transparent mirror is similar to a body of water, which transmits and reflects light.
Transparent mirrors reflect and transmit images across the mirrored surface. The reflective surfaces display bilateral symmetry, as well as rotational symmetry. Also, teachers use transparent mirrors to teach geometry of complementary and supplementary angles and physics of deflection, and drawing on the mirrors with dry erase markers shows perspective depth. Finally, a transparent mirror elucidates the difference in two facing objects, such as two faces by transmitting and reflecting the participants' images.
Symmetry
Move a transparent mirror perpendicularly along a bilaterally symmetrical object, such as a face, circle or pattern, until the reflection lines up and is opposite to the form of the object. This location is the line of symmetry.
Doubly reflect an object, such as a flower, wallpaper or regular hexagon, across two transparent mirrors at angles to one another to show rotational symmetry.
Angles
Place a block flush against the transparent mirror and orient the mirror normal to a paper surface. Draw a line on the paper, and place the intersection of the block and mirror on the line. Rotate the block and mirror to show the angles of incidence and reflection of the line relative to the block, then look at the line transmitted through the transparent mirror to see the reflection's complementary and supplementary angles.
Perspective
Place an object in front of you and place the mirror one foot behind the object. With a dry erase marker, draw the reflection of the object and move the mirror directly behind the object. Draw the object again and see the differences in scale of the two drawn objects. You can also place two similar objects on either side of the transparent mirror to create the same effect.
Feature Differences
Sit in front of another person and hold the transparent mirror between both of you. With a dry erase marker, draw your two faces overlaid and observe the differences.
