EXPERINMENT-8

Aim: - To find the value of 𝑣 for different values of 𝑢 in case of a concave mirror and to find the focal length.
Apparatus:- An optical bench with four uprights (zero end upright fixed, two outer uprights with lateral movement),
concave mirror, a mirror holder, two optical needles (one thin, one thick), a knitting needle, and a half metre scale.
Theory: - The mirror formula is given as
1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑣 𝑢

Where u is the object distance from pole of mirror, v is the image distance from pole of mirror and f is the focal length of
mirror.

Observation:-
The rough value of focal length of concave mirror 𝑓 = 20 𝑐𝑚
S. Position of Distance of 1 1 𝑢𝑣
𝑐𝑚−1 𝑐𝑚−1 𝑓= (𝑐𝑚)
No. Concave mirror Object needle Image needle Object Image 𝑢 𝑣 𝑢+𝑣
𝑃 (𝑐𝑚) 𝑂 (𝑐𝑚) 𝐼 (𝑐𝑚) 𝑢 (𝑐𝑚) 𝑣 (𝑐𝑚)
1. 0 36.4 36.4 -36.4 -36.4 -0.0274 -0.0274 -18.20
2. 0 31.5 43.1 -31.5 -43.1 -0.0317 -0.0232 -18.19
3. 0 30 46.2 -30 -46.2 -0.0333 -0.0216 -18.18
4. 0 27 55.8 -27 -55.8 -0.0370 -0.0179 -18.19
5. 0 25 67 -25 -67 -0.0400 -0.0149 -18.20
−(18.20+18.19+18.18+18.19+18.20)
The mean value of focal length 𝑓 = = −18.188 𝑐𝑚
5
Calculation:-
 −(18.25+18.25)
Mean of focal length 𝑓 = 2
= −18.25 𝑐𝑚
Result: - The focal length of given concave mirror is 𝑓 = −18.25 𝑐𝑚

Precautions:-
1. Principal axis of the mirror should be horizontal and parallel to the central line of the optical bench.
2. The uprights should be vertical.
3. Tip to tip parallax should be removed between the needle I and image of the needle O.
4. To locate the position of the image the eye should be at least 30 cm away from the needle.
5. Tips of the object and image needles should lie at the same height as that of pole of the concave mirror.
6. Index correction for u and v should be applied.

Sources of error:-
1. The uprights may not be the vertical.
2. Parallax removal may not be perfect.

EXPERINMENT-9

Aim: - To find the focal length of a convex mirror, using a convex lens.
Apparatus:- An optical bench with four uprights (two fixed uprights in middle, two outer uprights with lateral
movement), convex lens (20 cm focal length), a convex mirror, a mirror holder, a lens holder, two optical needles (one
thin, one thick), a knitting needle, and a half metre scale.
Theory: - As a convex mirror always forms a virtual image, its focal length cannot be found directly as for a concave
mirror. For this purpose, indirect method is used, as described below.

 An auxiliary convex lens 𝐿 is introduced between the convex mirror 𝑀 and object needle 𝑂. Keeping the object
needle at distance about 1.5 times rough focal length of convex lens, the position of convex mirror behind
convex lens is so adjusted that a real and inverted image of object needle 𝑂, is formed at 𝑂 itself. Under such
condition, the light rays are incident normally over the convex mirror to retrace their path. In the absence of
convex mirror, these rays would have met at centre of curvature 𝐶 of the convex mirror. The distance 𝑃𝐶 gives
the radius of curvature R of the mirror.

𝑃𝐶 = 𝑃𝐼 = 𝑅

 To locate the position of 𝐶, convex mirror is removed. An image needle 𝐼 is put behind the convex lens and
moved to a position at which there is no parallax between tip of inverted image of 𝑂 needle an d tip of 𝐼 needle.
Position of image needle 𝐼 gives position of centre of curvature 𝐶 of the mirror 𝑀.

𝑅
𝑓=
2