IV.

Data and Observation

Drawing on the Set-up

Questions:
1. Describe where the image is formed.

A plane mirror forms the image of an object by reflecting the light rays
coming from the object. The image formed by a plane mirror is virtual, erect and
of the same size as the object, such that the object and its image appear to be
intermediate from the mirror.

2. Compare the distance of the pin from the mirror line with the distance of
the image from the mirror line.

The distance of the pin from the mirror line with the same distance of the
image from the mirror line is the same when I measured them.

3. Compare the distance of the object from the mirror line with the distance of
the image from the mirror line in different position.

The distance of the object from the mirror line with the distance of the
image from the mirror line in different positions are also the same when I
measured them.

V. Conclusion
To sum up everything that has been stated, I infer that a plane mirror is one with
a flat surface that reflects light rays to produce a virtual image. The angle formed by the
incident and reflected rays is divided into two equal angles by the normal line. Reflection
of light is the phenomenon of light bouncing back in the same medium from which it
struck the surface of any object. The object in front of the mirror is the same size as the
image forming in the plane mirror. Furthermore, the image generated in the plane mirror
has the following properties: it is virtual, upright, and the same size as the object, and
the distance between the object and the plane mirror is the same as the distance
between the image and the plane mirror.

VI. Enrichment
Stand in front of the plane mirror. Look at your image. Describe the size of
the image compared to your size. Move towards the mirror. What do you
observe? Raise your right hand. What do you see in your image? Describe the
image formed by a plane mirror.
When using a plane mirror, the image appears upright, at a distance in back of
the mirror which is equal to the object (me) in front of the mirror. Our eyes don't see
objects, our eyes receive the incoming light that is reflected off those objects. So if you
move further away from the mirror, the reflected image in the mirror will also seem to
move further away. If you move closer, the reflected image will also appear to move
closer. As I stand in front of a plane mirror, what I see is my reflection. If I compare the
size of the image formed to my size, I can say that it is the same in size. As I move
towards the mirror and move away from it, I observed that the size of the image remains
unchanged. As we know that for the plane mirror the size of the image formed is the
same as the size of the object for all positions of the object. So as the object moves
towards or away the plane mirror at a certain rate, the size of the image will always be
equal to the size of the object. When I am raising my right hand, the image in the mirror
also raises but it seems like my left hand is being raised. The image being formed in the
mirror is virtual and a reflection of the image.
Questions:
1. Compare the following:

a. Real and Virtual images

A real image is the representation of an object formed by light rays from an
optical system. In this sense, a real image also shines, the same as an object. For
example, images on a movie screen, on the CCD senor of your digital camera, are real
images.
On the other hand, a virtual image does not exist in space, it only exists in our
brain with the way human forms images (back tracing light rays). But a virtual image is
still said to exist at its perceived location in space. For example, an image in the mirror
cannot be obtained on a screen (or curtain) as it is inside the mirror. So all the images
formed inside a mirror are virtual images.

b. Concave and Convex mirrors

The inner side of the hollow sphere is called the concave side. So, if the outer
side of the spherical mirror is coated with mirror-paint and the inner side act as the
reflector, then it is called a concave mirror. It is also called as Converging mirror
because the parallel incident rays converge or meet/intersect at a focal point after
reflection.

On the other hand, the outer side of the hollow sphere is called the convex side.
So, if the outer side acts as the reflector and, the inner side of the spherical mirror is
coated with mirror-paint then it is called a convex mirror. It is also called as Diverging
mirror because the parallel incident rays diverge after reflection. When extending the
reflected rays behind the mirror, the rays converge at the focus behind the mirror.

2. Why is ray diagram important in describing and locating the images formed
by spherical mirrors?
The ray diagram is indeed crucial in describing and locating the images formed by
spherical mirrors as it can be used to determine the position and size of an image. They
are graphical constructions which tell the overall nature of the image. They can also be
used to check the parameters calculated from the mirror and magnification equations.
 To make the ray diagram, you need to know: the position of the object; the position
of the center of curvature. Three rays are drawn; they all start from the same position on
the object. The intersection of any two of the rays at a point locates the image; the third
ray serves as a check of the construction.

3. Describe the image formed by

a. Concave mirror
A concave mirror does not always give a real and inverted image. If the object is
placed very near to the concave mirror then the image is formed inside the mirror. In
this case, the image is virtual. This virtual image is erect as well as magnified. The
concave mirror can reflect the image on the screen. Therefore, the image obtained by a
concave mirror is real. This real image is inverted in shape.

By changing the position of the object from the concave mirror, different types of
images can be formed. Unlike convex mirrors, the image formed by a concave mirror
shows different image types depending on the distance between the object and the
mirror.

b. Convex mirror
In the convex mirror, the images are formed inside the mirror. Therefore, the images
obtained by the convex mirrors are virtual. Also, the images obtained are erect and
smaller in size. Virtual, erect, and diminished images are always formed with convex
mirrors, irrespective of the distance between the object and the mirror. They are not
used to focus light as they reflect light outwards. The image formed by convex mirrors
are smaller than the object but gets larger as they approach the mirror.

4. Cite examples of concave and convex mirrors.

Concave mirrors
- The concave mirror is used in front lights of cars to reflect the light,
- It is used in marine lighthouses that are found at marine ports.
- It is used at the airports to guide the ships
- The concave mirror is used in solar ovens and solar furnaces to collect a large
amount of solar energy in the focus of the mirror for cooking food, heating water,
recharging power backups, or melting metals respectively.
- Concave mirrors are used in satellite dishes,
 - They are used in telescopes, and
- Dentists and ENT doctors use them to obtain a larger image than the original of
the teeth, ear, skin, etc.
- Concave mirrors are used in electron microscopes
- Used in magnifying glasses
- They are used in visual bomb detectors
- They are used in the flashlight mirror of the camera.

Convex mirrors
- The convex mirror is used as a side-view mirror on the passenger’s side of a car
because it forms an erect and smaller image of the way behind the car.
- The convex mirror is suitable for convenience shops and big supermarkets and
any other corner that need anti-thief
- It is used in turning off the road and parking.
- Convex mirrors are used inside buildings.
- They are also used in making lenses of sunglasses
- They are used in the magnifying glass
- They are used in securities
- They are used in telescopes.
- They can be used as street light reflectors because they can spread the light
over a bigger area.
- They are put on the corners of roads so that you can see any cars coming to
avoid collisions
- They are used as ceiling dome mirrors.

V. Conclusion
To sum up everything that has been stated so far, images formed on a screen,
after reflection, are called real images because they are formed by the intersection of
real reflected rays. A virtual image, on the other hand, does not form on a screen
because a virtual image is formed by the intersection of non-real rays.

Because it may be used to estimate the position and size of an image, the ray
diagram is critical in characterizing and locating the pictures created by spherical
mirrors. They are graphical structures that describe the general nature of the image.
They can also be used to validate the results of the mirror and magnification equations.

Depending on the location and position of the object put distant from the mirror,
the generation of an image in a concave mirror might be actual or virtual. The picture
generated by a convex mirror, on the other hand, is always fictitious. The development
of an image, whether in a concave or convex mirror, is always governed by the rule of
reflection.

There are numerous examples of both concave and convex mirrors in use, such
as car headlights that reflect light, marine lighthouses found at seaports, and solar
furnaces that collect a large amount of solar energy in the focus of the mirror for cooking
food, heating water, recharging power backups, or melting metals. A side-view mirror on
the passenger side of an automobile that generates an upright and smaller image of the
road behind the car; in the manufacture of sunglasses and magnifying glasses.

VI. Enrichment
Are mirrors important? Why or why not?
We use mirrors in our lives each and every day. In fact, our day typically begins
by staring into the mirror as part of our grooming routine. We observe something
namely our self and our appearance. A mirror is something in which we get a clear
image of an object. We are able to see our image in any shiny object like stainless steel,
water, and glass due to the change of the direction of light, which is called reflection.
The shiny objects which change the direction of light act as a mirror.

Mirrors are indeed crucial. A mirror in real life is not just like that of a fairy-tale,
which is used just to determine the fairest being alive on the planet. Mirror’s use is not
only for checking one’s physical appearance. A mirror in fact saves lives of many. Side
mirrors in cars, buses and other vehicles allow drivers to see vehicles behind. With
careful driving, having side mirrors can prevent road accidents. Rushing ambulance
which may have a passenger on a critical condition, are easily identified with its inverted
print. These are reasons why we see mirrors not only in your house, but also in cars, in
hospitals, and even in dental clinics.

Overall, mirrors have had a crucial impact on humanity and everyday life—except
from increasing our vanity, of course—from medical equipment to vehicles. Mirrors can
reflect sunlight for long distance signaling to overhead aircraft. Probably the most
common use – looking into a mirror, can reveal something about ourselves
psychologically, but ultimately show us a reflection of ourselves.