EXPERIMENT 1

AIM: To find the value of vfor different values of uin case of a concave miror,and to find the
focal length.
APPARATUS

An optical bench with three uprights (zero end upright fixed, two outer uprights with laten:
movement), concave mirror, amirror holder, two optical needles (one thin, one thick), aknitting nel,
and a half metre scale.

THEORY

From minror formula, 1 1. 1

f Uu

We have, f= 40
where, f= focal length of concave mirror.
u= distanceof object needle from pole of the mirror.
V=distance of image needle from pole of the mirror.
Note. According tosign-convention, u andvhave negative values. Hence,
fcomes negative.
RAY DIAGRAM

|Image M

C F

Image Object Needle

Needle (thin)
(thick)
V

Fig. Focal length of a concave

mirror.
FxallengthofSphericalMirrors 129
PROCEDURE

To
determinerough focal length
Mountthe concave mirror in mirror holder.
1.
2. Gooutinthe open and face the mirror towards distant tree or building
Obtainthe image of the tree or the building on a white painted wall (screen) and move the
3. mirrorforwardand|backward to get asharp image on the wal.
4. Measure the distance between the mirror andthe wall (screen). This will be equal tto the rough
focal length ofthe mirror.
INote. Similar procedure is adopted for determining rough focal length of aconvex lens.]
mirror
Toset the
s Place fixed upright near zero end of the optical bench and the two other uprights (with lateral
movement) near the other end.
ACamp the holder with mirror in the fixed upright keeping mirror face towards other end of the
bench and surface perpendicular to its length.
adjustment,
7. Make mirror surface vertical using levelling screws of the optical bench. (In final
optical bench).
the principal axis of the mirror must be horizontal and parallel to the
mirror upright.
8. Note the position of the index mark on the base of
Toset the object needle
Mount it in second upright.
9. Take thethin optical needle as object needle (0). the
cdamp it at a distance (in full cm) nearly 1.5 times
10. Move the object needle upright and
obtained rough focal length of the mirror. the
height of the object needle to make its tip lie on horizontal line through the pole of
11. Adjust
mirror. An
with the right open eye from the other end of the optical bench.
12. With lefteye closed, see needle willbe seen Tip of the image must lie in the middle
inverted andenlarged image of the mirror).
not seen, move object needle upright away from the
of the mirror (If image is upright.
position of the index mark on the base of the object needle
13. Note the
To set the image needle
(image needle) in third upright and move the upright near the
needle
14. Mountthe thick optical
other end of the optical bench. image
so that its tip is seen in line with the tip of the
image needle
hajustthe height of the
needle
when seen with right open eye. separated. The image tip and the image
16. Move the eye towards right. The tips will get
gets removed
tip have parallax. (Section 7.08 (6)). The parallax
17. Remove the parallax as descríbed
tip-to-tip. the base of theimage needle upright.
18. Note the position of theindex markon the table against observation 2,
marksin
19
Record all positions of theindex
the
 CALCULATIONS 130
OBSERVATIONS To
of
Obs. No.Serial 23. object
Move22. 21. 20.
6.
(1) determine
5 4 3 2 1.
Calculations
() Observed
knitting
Index Index ObservedActualRough
knitting [Note.Record experiment. correction
to the Movedìstance index
Find
comesvarious Concave get
u-yGraph.
Y-axis. (2a) (cm) P object
correction
correction length focal fand observations
Order all
needle
distanceneedle
between index
out Positionof distance 2f, ofthe
points
According length needle needle
to of (2b) (cm) needleObject of even
observations
observations,
focal correction
pole
be Select for foplaced
r is placed is the
between between when
a for the the upright
4, upright
needle
Image
knitting theof 5 offor
angular
different to length (2c) (Cm) and
a image object in in given found distance
mirror
suitable
sign between between
the th e
needle,
is as away 6. towards
Observed
=u
PO Table
by (3a) (cm) distance
distance mirror mirror concave rough kept, givenRepeat andtip
conventions,
sets 3, mirror from between
graphical
but for 2,
perbola of them, them, focal ahead.
the distance u,
1, the mirrorin of
PI=u
values v, u, and and mirror 4,
(3b) (cm) v
length the pole
same image object 5
experiment.
and and image
methods (from steps of
ofthisin may
Corrected to6
1
as u scale needle needle mirrorandtip
shown andv (4a) (cm) X-Z= X-y= be
ensure needle
position of
case to 1 too
Z=eeeeee y= nse*4X= 1
fromrepresent when when cmto
innegative. u distance rough.) that as
(4b) (cm) described. Comprekenslue
(Physics-
Practical
fgure. thandv
e of
object get objectthe of
observation both
observation
u always
observation
and 2
along ((cm")
5(cm)
)
are (Section
lies
Xa-axis (6) 1 steps in
2) needle
table. between 7.10
11.Repea and
andv f=length Focal (0))
distare also
Plot of
along f
Thegraph o1
 Mirrors
134
Drawaine OA making an angle of 45° with either axis (ie., bisecting ZYOX) and meetingthe
Draw AB and AD perpendicular on X and
Y-axes The values of uand
r b esmefor-noint A. So the
coordinates of point Amust be (2f. respectively.
2) because for a concave mirror
&nd areequallonly when the object is placed at the centre of curvature.
Hence, uR2f
Eqplanatioa
From miror formula applied to point A

2
As or and f2 or
Lene half the values of either coordinate of A(i.e., distance OD or OB) gives the focal length
che coNavemiror.
OD
f-
GRAPH BETWEEN u ANDv
Scale
X-axis:1cm =.. cm of u
Y'-axis:1 cm =... cm of v
Y4

u(cm)
X
X
450 o
-2f

A(-2,-201 v (cm)

Fig. Graph between uand u. It is a rectangular hyperbola.

Also OB
f=-
. Mean value of f=-.....
 132
Explanation making

(a) formula,
mirror
From length,
focal
Then equal The (i)
If= graph for 1
straight
intercepts diferent along and
X comes
then 0, line Y
XaXiS:1
cm..... Scale
Y-axis GRAPH
Graph
Fig.
ofcuts between out sets axis Graph.
the the A to of By
:1 bevalues sign Select
axes. two
Eers.Cn. f= cmBETWEEN,AND a
Measureaxes-X =..... straight conventions
of a
OA
1 1 1 1 suitable
cm.cm' of line and
1 1 the and
OB 1 as 1 1 but
distance and.It Y
at shown from and the
an
angle the 1same
OA in
is observation both
Plot
and of a Y4 figure. scale
45straight ly' B are Conprekenatue
OB. at to
respectively
points em') negative.
line. represent
a7s
table
and A in Practical
1Phy
quadrant the alomg,
,B,
varis
tied
yi
a
faalLength fSpherical, Mirrors 133

Thus,interceptOB

()If0,then

Thus, InterceptOA
f
(t)Amother -y Graph. Select a suitable but the samne scale to represent ualong X-axis
and valong Y-axis. Markthe points at distances y Wg yy . etc, alongthe OX-axís and
che corresponding points at distances v,, U,, U, ..etc. along the OY-axis for different
setsof observationsfrom thetable,
Draw øtralght lInes joining u, with U,, u, with u, H, with u,etc. These lines wil intersect at apoint
Ksshownin figure below. Draw KL and KM perpendiculars on X- and Y'-axes respectively,
Then -fm OL OM
or
f-...... cm.

Scale
X'. axis : 1cm=
Y'- axis :1 cm=
Y

-u(cm)
X

M
(+,-)K
v(cm)

Y'

Fig. Graph between u and v.

Brplanation
The mirror formula, satísfied by certain sets of (u, u) values. This formula is also
satsfed
Sets by extreme sets (f, )and (, f) of uandu values. The straight lines corresponding to extreme
then intersect at a point ((K) having co-ordinates (f. f). If set (u,,u), (u, v), .satisfythe mirror formula
straight lnes corresponding to these sets will also pass through the point Kf f).
134 Comprekemsue Practical Physic;
Hence, co oninates of the point Kobtained fromthe observed sets of uand vvaluessgjve value
For line LK,
For lineMK,
Note, It wmll be better to choose any four suitable sets of (u, v) values from the observation table

six sets ot observations maycomplicate the graph.

RESULT

The focal length of the given concave mirror as

determined from:

() focal length calculated from f= U+u

() (u-) graph =-...... cm

1_1 graph =-...... Cm

(iv) (u-) graph =-...... Cm.

PRECAUTIONS

1. Principal axis of the mirror should be horizontal and parallel to the central lineof the optic
bench.
2. The uprights should be vertical.
3. Tip to tip parallax should be removed between the needle I and image of the needle 0.
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 concare
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.