Mirrors: Plane & Curved

Elmer A. F. Conde
Buidnon State University
Malaybalay City
Topic Outline
• Mirror defined
• 3 Types of Mirrors
• Characteristics of plain mirror
• Characteristics of concave mirror
• Characteristics of convex mirror
• Sample computations on mirrors
Mirror defined
• Is an object with at least one side polished and therefore reflective
surface
• Most familiar type of mirror is the plain mirror which has a flat
surface
• Curved mirrors are used to produce magnified of diminished images,
focus light or simply distort the reflected images.
Plain Mirror
• Is a mirror with a planar reflective surface
• A plain or flat mirror reflects light rays in the same order as they
approach the mirror.
• For plain mirror, light is reflected according to the Law of reflection
Plain Mirror
• When a light ray is incident upon a reflecting surface, the angle of
reflection is equal to the angle of incidence.
• Both of these angles are measured relative to a normal line drawn to
the surface.
• The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same
plane.
Plain Mirror
When rays are reflected from
a rough surface, they are
reflected in many directions
and no clear image is formed.
None of the normal drawn to
the surface (at the point at
which the incident light ray
strikes at the surface) are
parallel.

DIFFUSE REFLECTION
Plain Mirror
When rays are reflected from
a smooth surface, they are
reflected so that a clear image
is formed. The reflected rays
are nearly parallel. The
normal drawn to the surface
(at the point at which the
incident ray strikes the
surface) are nearly parallel.

REGULAR REFLECTION
Plain Mirror

When the eyes receive these

light waves, it looks as if the
waves are diverging from
behind the mirror, making it
appear as if the object is
behind the mirror as well.

VIRTUAL IMAGE
Plain Mirror

The distance between object

and mirror is the object
distance. The distance bet.
the virtual image and the
mirror is the image distance.
On plain mirrors, object
distance is equal to image
distance.
 Plain Mirror Characteristics

Object size = Image size

Object distance = Image distance
Orientation = Erect
Always forms a virtual image
Image is reversed, left to right
Concave Mirror
• Reflects light inward to
one focal point,
therefore used to focus
light
• Shows different type of
image depending on
the distance between
the object and the
mirror itself
Concave Mirror
• Also called “converging”
mirrors: tend to collect
light that falls on them,
refocusing parallel
incoming rays toward a
focus.
 Concave Mirror Characteristics
The focal length is (+)
because the object and
the focus are on the same
side of the mirror.
Real images can be
formed by the mirror
when object is outside of
the focus; an inverted
image is formed.
 Concave Mirror Characteristics
do = distance between the object and the mirror
When object is placed in front of the mirror, do is (+)
If do is (+) the image is real
If do is (-), it is a virtual image
When the object is placed at the back of the mirror, the do is (-)
di = distance between image and the mirror
If image is in front of the mirror di is (+), behinds the mirror (-)
If di is (+) image is real, virtual if (-).
For concave mirror, focal point is (+).
 Concave Mirror Characteristics
 1/f = 1/do + 1/di
Where: do = distance of object and mirror
di = distance of image and mirror
Magnification m= hi/ho or m = - di/do
hi= height of image, ho= height of the object
(+) m= upright image with respect, (-) m= inverted image with
respect to object
/m/ > 1 = object is large, /m/ < 1 = object is smaller
 Concave Mirror Characteristics

 A concave mirror has focal length of 8cm. An object is placed

24cm before the mirror. The height of the object is 4cm. Describe
the image formed in the mirror.
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Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Convex Mirror
Activity: Curved Mirrors
Elmer A. F. Conde
Buidnon State University
Malaybalay City
 Goals:

• Identify the position, location and other

characteristics of an image as reflected
on a concave mirror.
• Infer the variations of the formed
image with respect to its position on
the mirror.
Concave Mirror
• Reflects light inward to
one focal point,
therefore used to focus
light
• Shows different type of
image depending on
the distance between
the object and the
mirror itself
Concave Mirror
• Also called “converging”
mirrors: tend to collect
light that falls on them,
refocusing parallel
incoming rays toward a
focus.
 Concave Mirror Characteristics
do = distance between the object and the mirror
When object is placed in front of the mirror, do is (+)
If do is (+) the image is real
When the object is placed at the back of the mirror, the do is (-)
If do is (-), it is a virtual image
di = distance between image and the mirror
If image is in front of the mirror di is (+), behinds the mirror (-)
If di is (+) image is real, virtual if (-).
For concave mirror, focal point is (+).
 Concave Mirror Characteristics
 1/f = 1/do + 1/di
Where: do = distance of object and mirror
di = distance of image and mirror
Magnification m= hi/ho or m = - di/do
hi= height of image, ho= height of the object
(+) m= upright image with respect to the object, (-) m= inverted
image with respect to object
/m/ > 1 = object is large, /m/ < 1 = object is smaller
 Concave Mirror Characteristics

 A concave mirror has focal length of 8cm. An object is placed

24cm before the mirror. The height of the object is 4cm. Describe
the image formed in the mirror.
 • Manila paper
Materials: • Permanent Ink
• Ruler

• Completed ray diagram illustration

• Necessary mathematical Expected Output:
computations
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