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In this chapter, we look at the reflection of light, how light interacts with mirrors, and how mirrors can be used to form images. To understand reflection and image formation, we will use a model of light based on rays and wave fronts – this is a much simpler model than the electromagnetic wave perspective.
The mirror equation enables one to calculate the image position from the object position and the radius of curvature of the mirror. A spherical mirror can also be characterized by its focal length. The focal length is the image distance when the object distance is infinity. From the mirror equation, we see that as p→∞ ⇒ 1 q = 1 f = 2 R
Mirrors: focal points, real and virtual. We consider mirrors made of a smooth conducting material (so the reflectivity is close to 1) in the shape of a section of a sphere.
A mirror is a reflective surface that does not allow the passage of light and instead bounces it off, thus producing an image. The most common mirrors are flat and called plane mirrors. These mirrors are made by putting a thin layer of silver nitrate or aluminium behind a flat piece of glass.
mirror, light rays reflect toward the focal point. For a converging mirror, incident light rays which are parallel to the principal axis are reflected toward a real focal point.
(a) The plane mirror gives a large view of the area immediately around that side of the truck. The small convex mirror gives a wide angle perspective of the road in back of both sides of the truck (but the image is
Convex Mirrors. Security mirrors in shops, on the other hand, form images that are smaller than the object. We will use the law of reflection to understand how mirrors form images, and we will find that mirror images are analogous to those formed by lenses.
