Plane Mirrors

Date Performed SCORE /35

PLANE MIRRORS

INTRODUCTION

Plane mirrors form images that are upright, virtual, of the same size as the object, and as far
behind the reflecting surface as the object is in front of it. Figure 7.1 below shows a light ray
incident on a plane mirror. The angle of incidence θi is the angle between the incident ray and the
normal to the plane mirror at the point of incidence, while the angle of reflection θr is the angle
between the reflected ray and the normal to the surface.

Figure 7.1

When the reflecting surface of the plane mirror is smooth, the incident ray, reflected ray
and normal line lie in the same plane and the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

OBJECTIVE
To locate the image of a pin formed by a plane mirror and to verify the law of reflection of light.
To determine experimentally the relation between the angle of the reflected ray  to the rotated
angle  of the mirror.

APPARATUS
Plane mirror with stand, ruler, protractor, push pin

PROCEDURE A:

1. On the back of this page, draw a line across its width passing through the center. This is the
mirror line. Draw a line at the center perpendicular to the mirror line. Place the plane mirror with
stand on the mirror line at the center. The mirror should be perpendicular to the plane of the
paper.

2. Place the pin upright in front of the mirror about 12 cm. This distance is
denoted by s. Label this as O.

3. Peek the image of pin on the left side. Trace this line of sight with a
ruler and extend this line up to the mirror line. Do the same at the left
side. Label these lines as Lr1 and Lr 2 , respectively. These are your
reflected rays. Refer to Figure 7.2 for the set-up.

Figure 7.2
 Plane Mirrors

4. Extend the lines beyond the mirror line using broken lines. Their intersection is the location of
the image of the pin. Label this as I. Measure the perpendicular distance from the point of
intersection I to the mirror line. Call the distance as s’.

s’=12 cm ( 1 point)
5. Connect the point where the pin was placed to the point where the lines L and L intersect
r1 r2
the mirror line. Label these Li and Li 2 . These are your incident rays. At the two points of
1
incidence, draw perpendicular lines with respect to the mirror line.

6. Measure with protractor the angles of incidence θi1 and θi2 , and the angles of reflection θ
r1
and θr 2 .

θr1 16⁰ (1 point) θi1 16 ⁰ (1 point)

θr2 15⁰ (1 point) θi2 15⁰ (1 point)

Note: Three (3) points for correct drawing at the back page

PROCEDURE B:

1. Draw a straight line across the width of the back of this page (preferably at the center). This is
the mirror line. Place the plane mirror on the mirror line near the left end. The mirror should be
perpendicular to the plane of the paper.

2. Place a pin upright in front of the mirror about 12 cm. Label this as O.

3. On the right side of the pin, look at the image of the pin on the mirror and trace this line of sight
with a ruler. Label this line Lr1 .

4. Extend the line Lr1 to the mirror line. Label the intersection as R. Connect the point where the
pin was placed (point O) to the point where the line Lr1 intersects the mirror line (point R). Label
this line as Li .

5. From point R, draw a line perpendicular to the mirror line. This is the normal line N.

6. Measure with protractor the angle of incidence θi and the angle of reflection θr .

i 16⁰ (1 point) θr 10⁰ (1 point)

7. Rotate the mirror about point R counterclockwise to some angle (NOTE: to be given by the
instructor and different for each student) without changing the position of the pin.

8. Sight on the right side of the pin the new image the pin with a ruler. Draw and label this new line
as Lr 2 Lr should intersect R. Label the angle between the Lr1 and Lr as  and the angle of
. 2 2
rotation of the mirror as . Measure and record  and .

 =20⁰ (1 point)  =40⁰ (1 point)

 Plane Mirrors

Note: Three (3) points for correct drawing at the back page
 Plane Mirrors

QUESTIONS

1. What is the relation between s and s’? (1 point)

Both the s and s’ are the same. The s represents the distance of the actual image of the
pin while the s’ shows the virtual image of the pin.

2. What is the relationship between θi1 and θr1 and between θi2 and θr 2 ? (1 point)

The relationship between θi1 and θr1 and between θi2 and θr 2 are the likely the
same with the law of reflection which states that the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of
incidence.

3. What is the relationship between  and ? (1 point)

The relationship between alpha and beta is that both are directly proportional. As the
angel of beta increases, the angle of alpha also increases.

4. Derive mathematically the relationship between  and . (2 points)

θ r = θa na sin θa = nb sin θb

5. Submit photos of your experiment at home. (15 points)