Yall are going to think that I am not right in the head. I want to tell you about one of my pet peeves. This particular thing has bugged me way more that it should for way longer than it should have. I just can’t let it go.
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
This is the sign on the side view mirror of the car. Maybe this is a uniquely American thing. But, all cars have a safety inscription on the side view mirror that states, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” I hate that phrase so much. It’s not that I am against safety warnings. I want drivers to be safe at all times. I hate the phrase because I think it is confusing, misleading, and does not convey the message that is intended.
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. The object IN the mirror, like Alice in the Looking Glass? Or the object over there that is being reflected in the mirror? Is it closer or further away? Huh?
First, let me give you some background on my extensive training in the science of reflective mirrors and imaging. I am not a physicist, but when I was in college, I did spend a summer helping my physics professor run a National Science Foundation Holography Science Camp for high school students. At camp, the kids were taught the principles of light refraction, and they used laser beams and mirrors to create holographic images and photos. If you are in the dark (ha, science humor!) about holograms, you might recognize the technique from Disneyworld’s Haunted Mansion ride, where holographic ghosts glide through the scenes and even sit with you as your cart moves through the mansion. Of course, our high school camp holograms were not as intricate as Disneyworld holograms. Ours were very rudimentary. But, at camp the students learned a lot about scientific principles of light and energy.
I will admit that I was not the best resource on the technical side with all the scientific equipment. Much of that was way over my head. I learned how to stay in my lane. I could make sure that the campers got to the cafeteria on time, and I could take them to the pool. I could do headcounts in the laboratory, and I could lock the doors after curfew. I could offer words of encouragement when the campers got discouraged. Those were my contributions. I knew a little bit about the process of holographic imagery with mirrors and lasers, but not enough to be consistently successful with experiments, and certainly not enough to teach someone else.
All that aside, I knew, or I should say that I KNOW how to communicate. I understand phrasing. I know when wording sounds confusing. I’ve read the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Well, actually, I haven't read the original book; I’ve read the picture book version, but I still get the point. We tend to make a lot of mistakes with semantics, grammar, and punctuation-- all the communication skills that help us convey messages to other people. Others can get the wrong idea if we don’t communicate effectively. And, in my opinion, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear” is not effective communication. It’s confusing. I know that they are trying to say that the object that is being reflected in the mirror is actually closer that it appears to be. I just don't think they succeed.
Let’s play with the message and change it up a bit, shall we? Let’s just substitute in the words ‘Gwen’, larger’, and ‘she’ to make a statement that says “Gwen in mirror is larger than she appears.” Excuse me? Say what? What on Earth does that mean? Does it mean that the Gwen in the mirror is larger or that the real Gwen standing over there is larger? See how confusing that can be? I think that the more straightforward message would be to say…. Drum roll, please…..
Gwen is larger than she appears in mirror.
and, likewise....
Objects are closer than they appear in mirror.
See? See how clear the message can be?
As you may know, the side mirror of a car is a convex mirror, curved out, similar to the back of a spoon. The reflection is distorted because the reflective light rays appear to come from a point behind the mirror instead of coming from the surface of the mirror (thank you, explainthatstuff.com.) The distortion causes objects to look smaller and further away than they really are.
Here is a reflection from a plane (flat) surface mirror.
And, here is a reflection from a convex (curved) surface. See the difference?
The end of this article is closer than it appears.
But first, here's my family in the 1970s at an arcade mirror looking at silly reflections. I always ran away from the short dumpy mirror, but loved standing in front of the tall skinny mirror.
I guess I’ve said my piece. I’ll just keep on letting out an exasperated huff when I see the safety sign on my car mirror. I’ve driven for decades, and I think I can estimate the distance of cars without having to mentally calculate what the sign is trying to tell me. That’s why I ignore it. But, I would suggest to the auto industry and any other industry that has to give concise safety information to the public at large—hire someone like my one of my daughters—the English major or the Mass Communications major—to get the wording right. Don’t leave it to the scientists. (No offense intended, scientists--Keep us safe! Love You Guys!)