At Archimedes’ Lab, we love discovering how even the most ordinary objects can reveal extraordinary truths. Take a spoon—yes, just a regular kitchen spoon. Hold it up and take a look… Why is your reflection upside-down on one side, and upright on the other?
That’s not magic—it’s optics! The concave side (the scooping part) acts like a converging lens with a focal point. When your face is close enough, the reflected light rays cross at that point, flipping your image. Voilà—an upside-down version of you. Now flip to the convex side, and your image stays upright, just a little smaller and bent around the edges.
During our workshops, we like to turn this into a playful moment. We joke with kids that the spoon is magical—it reveals who’s telling the truth. “If your face is upside-down,” we say with a grin, “the spoon knows you’re fibbing!” The reaction? Giggles, wide eyes, and just the right moment to sneak in a quick optics lesson.
One humble spoon. Two faces. A world of curious learning.
