Image Characteristic for Mirror and Lens

A spherical mirror is a reflective surface that can be concave or convex.

Making the analogy with a spoon, the reflective surface of a concave mirror (spoon) “holds” the water and the reflective surface of a convex mirror (spoon) doesn’t “hold” the water.

  1. Find out the image characteristics for mirrors:

Use the link below to start the simulation for spherical mirrors.

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CC point is the center of curvature for the mirror, R
A mirror has one focus point. Focal distance f=R/2
do distance object
di distance image
ho height of the object
hi height of the image

Concave mirror do > 2f (object far away from the mirror).

Record the values of di and hi including their signs and underline 3 of the image characteristics.
The image is real or virtual, inverted or upright, smaller or larger.
Is the image in front or behind the mirror?

do = 13 cm di = ……….cm

ho = 2 cm hi = ………..cm
Concave mirror do < f (object very close to the mirror)

Record the values of di and hi including their signs and underline 3 of the image characteristics.
The image is real or virtual, inverted or upright, smaller or larger
Is the image in front or behind the mirror?
do = 2 cm di = ……….. cm

ho = 2 cm hi = ………..cm

A typical concave mirror is a make-up mirror or a dentist mirror. How do you see yourself in a make-up mirror considering you are very close to it?

Full Answer Section

     
  • Inverted: (You can verify this in the simulation or by understanding how rays converge behind a concave mirror)

  • Smaller: (The image will be smaller than the object when the object is far away for a concave mirror)

  • Image Location: The image will be behind the mirror.

2. Concave Mirror - Object Very Close (do < f):

  • do (object distance): 2 cm (given)
  • di (image distance): Using the simulation (or formula), find the image distance (di). Note: The image distance might be negative in this case.
  • hi (image height): Using the simulation (or formula considering magnification), find the image height (hi).

Underline the Image Characteristics:

  • Virtual Image: (Because the light rays diverge from a point behind the mirror)

  • Upright: (You can verify this in the simulation or by understanding how rays diverge behind a concave mirror)

  • Larger: (The image will be larger than the object when the object is very close to a concave mirror)

  • Image Location: The image will appear in front of the mirror (since it's virtual).

Seeing Yourself in a Make-up Mirror:

A typical make-up mirror is a concave mirror. Since you hold your face very close to the mirror (do < f), you'll see an upright, virtual, and magnified image of yourself. This magnification allows you to see details on your face more clearly.

Sample Answer

     

Concave Mirror Image Characteristics:

Let's use the provided information and simulation (assuming you can access it) to explore image characteristics for concave mirrors:

1. Concave Mirror - Object Far Away (do > 2f):

  • do (object distance): 13 cm (given)
  • di (image distance): Using the simulation (or appropriate formula), find the image distance (di).
  • hi (image height): Using the simulation (or formula considering magnification), find the image height (hi).

Underline the Image Characteristics:

  • Real Image: (Because the light rays converge to form a real image on the other side of the mirror)