PREDICT THE QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OFIMAGES FORMED BY PLANE AND CURVED MIRROR

AND LENSES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Predict the qualitative characteristics(orientation, type, and magnification) of images formed by plane
and curved mirrors and lenses.

OBJECTIVES:

•Differentiate converging mirror or lens from diverging mirror or lens

•Characterize and draw ray diagrams for images formed by plane and spherical mirrors as well as
spherical lenses.

WHAT IS LIGHT?

-Light is produced by the Sun, and by objects such as light

bulbs and matches.

-Light carries energy and travels as a wave.

-Light travels at a speed of 300,000,000 meters per second,

which is much faster than the speed of sound.

-Light waves travels in straight lines.

• LIGHT ENERGY

-Light is a form of energy and can be changed from one form into another.

-Light energy can be used to make other useful forms of energy. It can be converted into electrical
energy in a solar cell or chemical energy in the leaves of plants.

-Solar cell
-Plants

• How do we see things?

-An object that gives out light is described as luminous. How does light from a luminous object such as
light bulb reach the eye?

-Light travels in a straight line directly into the eye.

-An object that does not give out light is nonluminous. How does your eye see non-luminous object such
as a comb?

-Light hits the comb and some of it is reflected into the eye.
•REFLECTION -it is the bouncing off of light rays when

it hits a surface like a plane mirror.

TYPES OF REFLECTION

• Specular Reflection: Produced from objects that reflect light well:

-Have smooth, shiny surfuces and are usually pale colours.

-Give clear images because they reflect light regularly.

•Diffuse Reflection: Produced from objects that do not reflect light well.

-Have rough, matt surfaces and are usually dark colours.

-Give diffuse images(or do not give any images) because they reflect light irregularly. This is called
scattering.
LAW OF REFLECTION:

-When a light ray hits a mirror it changes direction: the ray is reflected.

-This is called the law of reflection and is true for any type of wave being reflected from a surface.

LAW OF REFLECTION:

-Incident Ray. The ray of light approaching the mirror represented by an arrow approaching an optical
element like mirrors.

-Reflected Ray. The ray of light which leaves the mirror and is represented by an arrow pointing away
from the mirror.

-Normal Line. An imaginary line (labeled N in figure 3) that can be drawn perpendicular to the surface.

-Angle of Incidence. (i) the angle between the incident ray and normal line

-Angle of Reflection.(r) – the angle between the reflected ray and normal line.
REFLECTION IN PLANE MIRROR:

When you look at a mirror you see a virtual image that appears to be behind the mirror.

The image appears to be the same size as

the original object and the same distance

behind the mirror as the object is

from the mirror.

REFLECTION: REAL / VIRTUAL?

When we look into a mirror we see an image.

The image appears to be behind the mirror.

If you look behind the mirror, the image is obviously

not there, so we say it is a virtual image. A virtual

image is one which cannot be formed on a screen.

A real image is one that can be formed on a screen,

such as the real image from the projector, which

you are reading now!

REFLECTION: LATERAL INVERSION

When you look at some writing in a mirror you will notice that it appears backwards. We can work out
what is happening by drawing a ray diagram.

The light rays swap over when they are reflected. This causes the image to appear laterally inverted
(backwards) when compared to the original object.

REFLECTION: LEFT- RIGHT REVERSAL

The letters in front of the ambulance are written laterally. This is because when seen in rear view mirror
by another vehicle, the image of the word would get inverted, letting the driver read the word properly
so that he can provide way to the ambulance.
REFLECTION : SPHERICAL MIRRORS

Most curved mirrors are called spherical mirrors because their shape follows the surface of a sphere.

CONCAVE MIRRORS

-Concave mirrors reflect rays of light to a focal point (F).

-Concave mirrors are converging mirrors, as the rays of

light converge to a focus. If a light source is placed at

the focus they produce a beam of parallel light rays.

-The distance between the mirror and the focal

point is called the focal length (f). The more curved

the mirror is the closer the focus is to the lens.

USES OF CONCAVE MIRRORS

-Concave reflectors are used to focus signals from distant satellites.

-Concave mirrors are used in allowing them to be more powerful for their size

CONVEX MIRRORS

-Convex mirrors are curved so that they bulge

outwards.

-Convex mirrors are diverging mirrors. They

reflect rays of light away from a focal point (F)

which lies behind the mirror.

-Rays parallel to the mirror’s central axis are

reflected so that they appear to have come

from this focal point.

USES OF CONVEX MIRROR

-Convex mirrors are often used to see around corners, here in a busy corridor.

-The rear view mirror in a car is a convex mirror to widen the field of view.

RAY DIAGRAM

• Center of Curvature © - the center of the sphere whose

surface forms the curved mirror.

• Focal Point (F) – where the light rays meet.

• Vertex (V)- the point where the principal axis meets the mirror.

• Principal Axis – the straight line passing through the center

of curvature to the mirror.

• Focal Length(f) – the distance from the focal point to the vertex.

• Radius of Curvature (R) - the distance from the vertex to the

center of the curvature.

Location, Orientation, Size, and Type of Image

Location, Orientation, Size, and Type of Image

 The ‘Four Principal Rays’ in Curved Mirrors

Images formed in a curved mirror can be located and described through ray diagramming. The P – F Ray,
F – Pray, C – C ray, and the V ray are the ‘Four Principal Rays’ in curve mirrors. These rays, applied for
concave and convex mirrors.

The ‘Four Principal Rays’ in Curved Mirrors

The ‘Four Principal Rays’ in Curved Mirrors

1.From the object, draw the first ray (P-F ray). From

the same point on the object, draw the second

(F – P Ray), third (C – C ray), and fourth (V ray) rays.

2. The intersection of the four rays is the image

point corresponding to the object point.