QUALITATIVE

CHARACTERISTICS
OF IMAGES
MIRRORS AND LENSES
 What is a mirror?
 an object that reflects an image
 a wave reflector

Reflection – bouncing
of light rays when it
hits a surface
 Types of Mirrors
Plane Mirror
- a mirror with a flat
reflective surface

Spherical Mirror
- has the shape of a piece
cut out of a spherical
surface
 Light Rays
Light ray is an idealized model of light, which is drawn
as a straight line.
Incident Ray (i) – the ray of light approaching a surface
of a mirror
Reflected Ray (r) – the ray of light which leaves the
surface of the mirror
Normal line (n) – an imaginary line that can be drawn
perpendicular to the surface of a mirror at the point of
incidence where the ray strike in the mirror
 n
i r
 n
i r

Angle of incidence () – Angle of incidence () –

the angle between the 𝜃𝑖 𝜃𝑟 the angle between the
incident ray and normal reflected ray and
line. normal line.
 Law of Reflection
The normal line, incident ray, and the reflected ray
lie on the same plane.

n The Angle of incidence

i r () is equal to the Angle
of incidence ().

𝜃𝑖 𝜃𝑟
 Reflection of Light
Specular/Regular Reflection
◦ light is reflected from a
smooth surface at a definite
angle
Diffused/Irregular Reflection
◦ produced by rough surfaces
that tend to reflect light in
all directions
 Reflection of Light
Specular/Regular Reflection
◦ light is reflected from a
smooth surface at a definite
angle
Diffused/Irregular Reflection
◦ produced by rough surfaces
that tend to reflect light in
all directions
 Reflection in a Plane Mirror
Characteristics of images
formed by a plane mirror:
1. Image is virtual;
2. Same size as the object;
3. Same orientation as the
object; and
4. Same distance from the
mirror as the object.
Mirror Left-Right Reversal
 Reflection in Spherical Mirrors
Concave Mirror
 reflects light inward to one
focal point
used to focus light.
 also known as converging mirror
 has a reflecting surface that is
recessed inward (away from the
incident light)
 Reflection in Spherical Mirrors
Concave Mirror
 reflects light inward to one
focal point
used to focus light.
 also known as converging mirror
 has a reflecting surface that is
recessed inward (away from the
incident light)
 Reflection in Spherical Mirrors
Convex Mirror
 also known diverging mirror
 a curved mirror in which the
reflective surface bulges
towards the light source
 reflect light outwards;
therefore they are not used
to focus light
 Reflection in Spherical Mirrors
Convex Mirror
 also known diverging mirror
 a curved mirror in which the
reflective surface bulges
towards the light source
 reflect light outwards;
therefore they are not used
to focus light
 Types of Images Formed in
Reflecting Surfaces
REAL IMAGE VIRTUAL IMAGE
1. A real image is formed when light 1. A virtual image is formed when
rays actually meet after reflection. light rays do not actually intersect
after reflection, but they appear to
2. A real image can be formed on a diverge from the mirror.
screen.
2. A virtual image cannot be formed
3. A real image is inverted with on a screen.
respect to the object.
3. A virtual image is erect with
respect to the object.
 Types of Images Formed in
Reflecting Surfaces
REAL IMAGE VIRTUAL IMAGE
 Types of Images Formed in Reflecting Surfaces
Image Real Virtual
(formed when (formed when
rays converge) rays diverge)
Orientation Upright Inverted
(right side up) (upside down)
Location Depends on the object location
Size Larger >1 Smaller <1 Same 1
 magnification
(ratio of the image
dimensions to the
object dimensions)
 Magnification Equation
 tells the change in size or height of the image relative to the object and
image distance of the mirror

where: M = the magnification (no unit)

= height of the image = distance of the image
= height of the object = distance of the object
Note: The height of the image () will be negative if the image
is inverted or real.
Sample Problem 1:

An object 11cm tall is 9cm from a

mirror. If the image distance is -3cm
from the mirror, what is the image
height?
Sample Problem 2:

A candle is 14.7cm tall, and the

image is 21.9cm tall. What is the
magnification of the mirror?
Sample Problem 3:

The image produced by a concave

mirror is at -16.2m, and the
magnification is 1.79. What is the
object distance?
“The mirror is my
best friend
because when I
cry, it never
laughs.”
~ Charles Chaplin