Images

Formed by a
Plane Mirror
General Physics 2
1/2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Regardless of how
many times we
recite the chant,
“Mirror, mirror on
the wall, who is the
fairest of them all,”
what’s going to
appear is just our
own reflection. 2
Convenient,
isn’t it? We are
the fairest of
them all.

3
Now mirrors are also being used for security,
transportation, reconnaissance, and space exploration.

4
In this lesson, you will learn
how plane mirrors form
images.

5
What is the law of
reflection?

6
 Learning Competencies
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Determine graphically and

mathematically the type (virtual/real),
magnification, location, and orientation of
image of a point and extended object
produced by a plane mirror
(STEM_GP12OPTIVd-24).
7
 Learning Competencies
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Solve problems in geometric optics in

contexts such as, but not limited to, depth
perception, microscopes, telescopes, and
the correction of vision defects
(STEM_GP12OPTIVe-29).

8
 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Graphically identify the properties of the

image formed by plane mirrors.

● Apply the mirror equation in solving

problems involving plane mirrors.
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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Familiarize with the properties of

the image formed by a plane
mirror.
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 Images Formed by Plane Mirrors

● A mirror is a flat or curved surface that is

typically made of glass with one end coated with
either silver nitrate or aluminum.

● It is a reflective surface which does not allow

the passage of light and instead bounces it off to
produce an image.
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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
● According to the law of reflection, all rays
striking the surface are reflected at an angle
from the normal equal to the angle of
incidence.
● Since the surface is plane, the normal is in the
same direction at all points on the surface, and
we have specular reflection.
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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
● After the rays are reflected off
of a plane mirror, their
directions are the same as
though they had come from
point P’. We call point P an
object point and point P’ the
corresponding image point,
and we say that the reflecting
surface forms an image of
point P. 13
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Reflection
● Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at
an interface between two different media so that the
wavefront returns into the medium from which it
originated.
● When the light ray, designated as the incident ray,
approaches a smooth surface at an angle θ with respect
to the normal, it will be reflected with the same angle
but in the opposite direction.
14
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Graphical Method for Plane
Mirrors
● To find the precise location
of the virtual image P’ that a
plane mirror forms of an
object at P, we use the
construction shown in this
figure.
15
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors
● The object P is at a distance s from the mirror which is
the object distance. The object distance is represented
as do in the mirror equation,

and the magnification equation

16
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● The ray PV is incident normally on the mirror (that is, it

is perpendicular to the mirror surface), and it returns
along its original path.

● The ray PB makes an angle with PV. It strikes the

mirror at an angle of incidence and is reflected at an
equal angle with the normal.
17
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● When we extend the angle of two reflected rays

backward, they intersect at point P’ at a distance s’
behind the mirror. We can call s’ as the image
distance, di.

● The line connecting P and P’ is perpendicular to the

surface of the mirror.
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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● Triangles PBV and PBV’ are congruent and P and P’

are at equal distances from the mirror and s and s’
have equal magnitudes.

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Remember

The image point P’ is located

exactly opposite the object point
P as far behind the mirror as the
object point is from the front of
the mirror.
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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● The mirror equation is defined by three variables, the

focal length f, the object distance do and image
distance di.

● Both the focal length and the image distance can be

positive or negative depending on what type of lens or
mirror is used, the image generated and relative
position of the object. 21
 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Sign Conventions for the Mirror Equation

Variable Positive Negative

f the focal length for plane mirror is always ∞

if the image is real and if the image is virtual

is located on the object's and is located behind
di side of the mirror the mirror

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● A plane mirror can be thought of as a small portion of

a very large sphere that appears flatter compared to a
concave and convex mirror.

● As we increase the radius of the spherical mirror, the

portion that is cut out continues to appear flatter.

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors
● As the radius of curvature approaches infinity, the
mirror portion approaches perfect flatness.
● Since the location of the focal point is halfway
between the radius of curvature and the vertex, if
the focal point is at infinity, the focal point is at a
point halfway to infinity which is still at infinity.

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● Using the mirror equation, we can derive the

conclusion that we had for the graphical analysis of
plane mirrors, thus:

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors

● Defined as the ratio of the height of the image

generated to the height of the object, magnification
is the size of an image generated relative to the size of
the object used to create it. It can also be expressed in
terms of image distance and object distance as the
ratio of image distance to that of object distance.

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Analytical Method for Plane Mirrors
● Magnification can also be expressed in terms of image
distance and object distance as the ratio of image
distance to that of object distance.
● The magnification of a plane mirror is equal to 1
meaning the dimensions of the image formed is the
same as the object itself, thus

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 Images Formed by a Plane Mirror
Sign Conventions for the Magnification Equation

Variable Positive Negative

di if the image is a real if the image is a virtual

image and located on image and located
the object's side of the behind the mirror
mirror

ho if the image is an upright if the image an

image inverted image
28
How does relative
motion between an
observer and a source
affect the frequency
perceived?
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Remember

For plane mirrors, the image generated is

virtual and located behind the mirror (di is
negative, and the light rays do not actually
converge), upright (ho is positive and the
actual image is a just mirror back-to-front)
and neither magnified or reduced
(magnification is equal to 1 and reflections
are an exact replica of the object).
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 Let’s Practice!

Anna Litical is doing the Plane

Mirror Lab in physics class. She
places a pin a distance of 4.9 cm
from a plane mirror. How far
behind the mirror can the image be
expected to appear?
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 Let’s Practice!

Anna Litical is doing the Plane Mirror Lab in physics class. She
places a pin a distance of 4.9 cm from a plane mirror. How far
behind the mirror can the image be expected to appear?

The image formed is 4.9 cm away

from the mirror. The negative sign
denotes that the image is behind
the mirror.
32
Try It!

An apple in front of a
plane mirror is sitting 10
cm away from the
mirror. How far is the
image away from the
mirror? 33
 Let’s Practice!

Baldwin Young stands 68 cm

from his dresser mirror,
inspecting his scalp. How far is
the image of his scalp located
from his scalp?
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 Let’s Practice!

Baldwin Young stands 68 cm from his dresser mirror,

inspecting his scalp. How far is the image of his scalp
located from his scalp?

The total distance between

Baldwin Young’s scalp and
the image is 136 cm.
35
Try It!

If you are standing 1m in

front of a plane mirror,
what is the distance
between you and your
reflected image?
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 Let’s Practice!

You see an object on the opposite corner

of the room from the 45° mirror in the
corner in front of you. If the object is 10
ft away from the mirror, the image
generated is how many meters away
from you if you are standing 1 m away
from it?
37
 Let’s Practice!

You see an object on the opposite corner of the room from the 45°
mirror in the corner in front of you. If the object is 10 ft away from the
mirror, the image generated is how many meters away from you if you
are standing 1 m away from it?

The distance between the

observer and the image
generated is 3.19 m.
38
Try It!

You see an object in the mirror

when you are 5 ft away from it.
If the object is just across your
direction, what is the distance
between the object and the
image?
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 Check Your Understanding

Identify what is being referred to in each statement.

1. This refers to anything from which light rays can

radiate.
2. This is defined as the ratio of the height of the image to
the height of the object.
3. According to the __________________, all rays striking the
surface are reflected at an angle from the normal equal
to the angle of incidence.
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 Check Your Understanding

A point P which is d-meters away from the mirror is to be

observed from point O. Graph the location of the image
formed at P’ by the reflection. The graph should include
the angle of incidence θi.
1. Angle of incidence θi
2. Angle of reflection θr
3. Distance of the object D

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● A plane mirror is a mirror with a flat (planar) reflective

surface.

● The image point P’ is located exactly opposite the object

point P as far behind the mirror as the object point is
from the front of the mirror.

● The image generated for a plane mirror is virtual,

upright, and neither magnified or reduced.
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 Key Formulas

Concept Formula Description

Use this formula when

Mirror Equation
relating the focal
length, the object
where
distance and the image
● f is the focal length in
distance.
meter (m);
● do is the object
distance in meter (m),
and
● di is the image
distance in meter (m).
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 Key Formulas

Concept Formula Description

Use this formula when

Magnification
relating the
Equation
magnification, the
where:
object distance, image
● M is magnification;
distance, image height
● do is the object
and object height.
distance in meter (m),
and
● di is the image
distance in meter (m).
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 Key Formulas

Concept Formula Description

Use this formula when

Magnification
relating the
Equation
magnification, the
where
object distance, image
● ho is the object height
distance, image height
in meter (m), and
and object height.
● hi is the image height
in meter (m).

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Challenge Yourself

You are trying to buy a new mirror

for your bedroom, and you want to
get one that will allow you to see
your entire body at one time. What
is the minimum length the mirror
must be so that you can see your
entire body?
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Photo Credit

● Slide 2: Magic Mirror on the Wall Orange by Tyler is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via flickr.

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Bibliography
Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics Principles with Applications (6th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2005.

Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Kenneth Krane. Fundamentals of Physics (10th ed). USA: Wiley,
2014.

Knight, Randall D. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach (3rd ed). USA: Pearson
Education, 2013.

Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (9th
ed). USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014.

Young, Hugh D., Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. Sears and Zemansky’s University
Physics with Modern Physics (13th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2012.

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