Quarter _2__ WORKSHEET NO.

_____ MELC:
NAME: ____________________________________________ SCORE: _____________________
SECTION: ____________________________________________ DATE SUBMITTED: _____________________

BIG IDEAS:
A spherical mirror is a type of mirror which has the shape of a piece cut-out of a smooth, spherical reflecting
surface. There are two types of spherical mirrors: concave and convex.

CONCAVE MIRROR
Has a reflecting surface that bulges away from the incident light. Parallel rays of
light incident on it converge to a single point in front of the mirror. This is called the
real focus of the mirror. A concave mirror is also called a converging mirror

CONVEX MIRROR
Has a reflecting surface that bulges toward the incident light. It is a diverging
mirror because the parallel rays of light incident on it, upon reflection, diverge
from a point behind the mirror. This point is called a virtual focus.

LOCATING THE IMAGE FORMED BY SPHERICAL MIRRORS

The characteristics of the image formed by
spherical mirrors depend on the type of mirror used
and the distance from the mirror. Consider four
“special rays” in locating the image formed by
these mirrors.
Ray 1 A ray parallel to the principal axis
reflects through the focus
Ray 2 A ray passing through the focus is
reflected parallel to the principal axis.
Ray 3 A ray that reflects from mirror after
passing through C returns along itself.
Ray 4 A ray striking the vertex is reflected at
an equal angle on the opposite side
of the principal axis.

Real vs. Virtual Image

The image formed in (a) is a real image. Reflected THE MIRROR EQUATION
rays intersect at the location of the image. A real The mirror equation describes the
image formed by a single mirror is always inverted relationship among the object distance do, the
and located in front of the mirror. image distance d1 and the focal length, f.
𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
+ =
A virtual image, on the other hand is seen behind the 𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝟏 𝒇
mirror and is upright. The reflected rays do not The magnification is given by:
actually meet at the location of the image but
𝑺𝟏 𝒅𝒊
appears to originate from it. 𝒎= = −
𝑺𝒐 𝒅𝒐
SIGN CONVENTIONS FOR SPHERICAL MIRRORS
Physical Quantity When positive ( + ) When negative ( - )
Object distance do always never
Image distance d1 real image virtual image
Focal length f concave convex
Magnification upright image inverted image

Author: Ferdinand S. Bautista

References: Canyong, et.al, Science Grade 10, Vicarish Publication Inc. ; Serway and Faughn, College Physics 7e, Cengage Learning Inc. ;
Halliday and Resnick, Fundamentals of Physics 8e, Wiley and Sons Inc.
Quarter _2__ WORKSHEET NO. _____ MELC:

ACTIVITY 1: REAL IMAGE VERSUS VIRTUAL IMAGE

SITUATION:
An object is placed in front of a curved
mirror that is mounted within the boxed
region. I, II, III, and IV are images that might
be produced by this mirror.

Answer the following questions based on the location and orientation of the image formed.

1. Which of the given images (I, II, III, IV) could not be formed by a spherical mirror? Explain.

2. Of the possible images

a. Which would be produced by a concave mirror?
b. Which would be produced by a convex mirror (based only on location and
orientation)?
c. Which would be real?
d. Which would be virtual?
e. Which would involve a negative magnification?
f. Which would involve a positive magnification?

ACTIVITY 2: RAY DIAGRAMMING AND MIRROR EQUATION

INSTRUCTIONS: Solve the problem related to spherical mirrors using (a) ray diagraming and (b) the
mirror equation

A 15-cm tall flower vase is placed 25 cm in front of a concave mirror with a focal length of 10 cm.
(a)Where will the image be formed? (b) How tall is the image? (c) Is the image real or virtual? (d) If
instead, a convex mirror of the same focal length is used, where will the image be formed?

RAY DIAGRAMMING:

MIRROR EQUATION

Author: Ferdinand S. Bautista

References: Canyong, et.al, Science Grade 10, Vicarish Publication Inc. ; Serway and Faughn, College Physics 7e, Cengage Learning Inc. ;
Halliday and Resnick, Fundamentals of Physics 8e, Wiley and Sons Inc.