On Reflection ...

Let's assume that the tortoise brings its skateboard to a halt, and attaches a mirror to the front so that it can vainly contemplate its reptilian splendour. If the tortoise is to see its reflection, light must travel from the tortoise to the mirror and back again into its eye.

We can picture this idea simply by imagining that there is a machine in front of the tortoise firing tennis balls at it. These deflect off of the tortoise on to the mirror and bounce back again, in the same way as the light does. Some of the balls may even strike the tortoise in the eye after hitting the mirror!

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