Mirrors and Reflection

of Light
Mirror
Any surface that is smooth enough to
produce regular reflection of light incident
upon it.
Two types of mirror:
a. Plane mirror
b. Spherical mirror
Mirror
Any surface that is smooth enough to
produce regular reflection of light incident
upon it.
Two types of mirror:
a. Plane mirror
b. Spherical mirror
Plane Mirror
A mirror with a flat
surface
Images formed by plane mirrors are
always virtual, upright, the same size
as the object, the same distance
behind the mirror, and laterally
reversed. Laterally reversed means
that the left of the object becomes the
right of the image, vice versa.
Sci Trivia!
If you want to see your full image in a
plane mirror regardless of how far you
are from it, the minimum size of the
mirror you need is one-half of your
height.
Real image of an object is
formed by actual intersection
of reflected rays. It is formed
in front of the mirror and is
always upside down relative to
the object.
Virtual image is formed
behind the mirror and is
upright relative to the
object.
Spherical Mirror
Has a reflecting surface
taken from the surface
of the sphere. It may be
concave or convex.
Spherical Mirrors
Terminology
Center of curvature (C) is the center of
the sphere from where the mirror was
taken.
Vertex (V) is the center of the mirror. It is
sometimes called the pole of the mirror.
Radius of curvature (R) is the radius of
the sphere. It is the distance between C
and V
Principal axis or optical axis,
is a straight line joining C and
V.
Aperture (AB) refers to the
width of mirror.
Principal focus (F) is the point
where the reflected rays meet as
in the case of a converging
mirror, or the point where the
reflected rays seem to come
from behind a diverging mirror
Focal length (f) is the distance
from the pole to the principal
focus. Since the principal focus is
midway between C and V, the
focal length is one-half of the
radius of curvature.
Focal length (f) is the distance
from the pole to the principal
focus. Since the principal focus is
midway between C and V, the
focal length is one-half of the
radius of curvature.
 When parallel rays strike a
concave mirror, the rays will
be reflected and meet a single
point. Hence, we say that a
concave mirror is converging.
 A convex mirror is a diverging
mirror because when parallel
ray strike it, the reflected rays
spread out and never come to
a focus.
Concave Mirror Images
A concave mirror can produce real or
virtual images, depending on the distance
between the mirror and the object. The
image may also be larger than, the same
size as, or smaller than the object.
Ray Tracing for Spherical
Mirrors
1. A ray passing through
the center of curvature is
reflected along itself.
2. A ray parallel to the optical axis
is reflected through the principal
focus as in case of converging
mirrors; or when extended, it
appears to come from the principal
focus as in case of diverging
mirrors.
3. A ray passing through the
focus (or which when the
extended passes through the
focus) is reflected parallel to
the optical axis.
4. A ray striking the vertex of
the mirror is reflected at an
equal angle on the opposite
side of the principal axis.
Types of Image Formed by Concave Mirror at Different Object
Positions
Location of Location of Image Characteristics of Images
Objects
Very Far (at At F Real, inverted, very small
infinity)
Beyond C Between C and F Real, Inverted, Smaller than the object
Between C and F Beyond C Real, inverted, Bigger than the object
At F At infinity No image formed because all reflected
rays are parallel
Between F and V Back of mirror Virtual, upright, bigger than the object
Convex Mirror Images
The image formed by a convex mirror is
never real because the reflected rays
spread out from the mirror. Images formed
by a convex mirror are always virtual,
upright, and smaller than the object.
Mirror Equation and
Magnification
 the position and size of image formed by
 


mirrors may be determined using ray diagrams.

However, the position of the image may be
quickly determined using the mirror equation.

==
 f= focal length
R= Radius of curvature
do = object distance from the
vertex of mirror
di = image distance from the vertex of
mirror
The distance of the image from the
vertex of the mirror is positive for
real image and negative for a
virtual image. The distance of the
object from the vertex of the
mirror is always taken to be
positive.
  
The size of the image relative to the


object termed as magnification and

represented by a capital letter M, can
be obtained using the formula:
M=||
If M is equal to 1, the image is the
same size as the object. If M is less
than 1, than image is smaller than
the object.
If M is greater than 1, the image is
bigger than the object.
Sample Problem
An object is placed 20 cm in front
of a concave mirror of radius 50
cm. a) What is the focal length of
the mirror? b) where is the image
located?
Sample Problem
An object is placed 36 cm in front
of a concave mirror of a focal
length of 22 cm. a) What is the
radius of curvature of the mirror?
b) where is the image located?