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- What?! It looks like he's flying. What happened to gravity? It's gotta be done with mirrors. Hi and welcome to the Exploratorium. My name's Eric Muller. I'm a educator here with the Teacher Institute. I am on the museum floor where we have hundreds of exhibits, where you can explore a phenomenon and figure things out for yourself. You're interested in building one of these exhibits, yourself? Well we have online, for free, Science Snacks. Literally bite sized exhibits that you can make for your home or for your classroom. Join me as we show you how to build and do the Science Snack, Anti-Gravity Mirror. This is David he's a high school explainer, here at the Exploratorium. The key to this phenomenon is that we humans are bilaterally symmetric. That means they're identical or a mirror image on our right side and our left side. We know this. But we can be tricked. Although David's body is bisected by the mirror, the mirror's reflection makes him look whole to an observer. But what's happening behind the mirror is quite different from what's happening in front. You can do the same activity at home. The snack version, provides assembly instructions and explains the science behind the phenomenon. Our snack building instructions for the anti-gravity mirror, call for a plastic mirror, a stand, some tape that can help support the mirror vertically, and obviously, a partner or observer. After you set it up, straddle the mirror, lift the leg visible to and observer, and take off! Don't have a mirror laying around? Here's another version. Glass reflects light, too. Not as much as a mirror, but this trick should still work. On a sunny day, tape or clip a dark blanket or sheet to the inside of a sliding glass door. Just step into the doorway, partway, concealing half your body behind the blanket and window. The observer should position themselves to get a good view. And... Good luck with your flights, be safe, and enjoy doing the Science Snack, Anti-Gravity Mirror.