New Era University

College of Engineering & Technology

PHYSICS 271
Mirrors and Lenses

Engr. Luzale Dioso-Henson

 Fundamentals of Light

SUB-TOPICS

• Introduction: Images and Mirrors

• Virtual and Real Image
• Convex Mirror
• Concave Mirror
• Ray tracing for convex and concave mirror
• Mirror Equation and Magnification
• Sample Problems
• Assessment Questions

This file is exclusively for Engineering Physics 2 - NEU by LDH

 Fundamentals of Light

Course Objectives:
At the end of the week, the student should be able to
1. Describe how a plane mirror forms an image.
2. Illustrate how concave and convex mirrors form different
kinds of image.
3. Solve problems on using mirror equation and
magnification.

This file is for exclusive use in Physics271-NEU by LDH

INTRODUCTION
Most mirrors have flat surfaces. Because of this,
they reflect almost all of the light. The image
you see, the virtual image, the one in the mirror
is the same size as the real object.

The virtual image appears to be behind the

mirror. The distance between the mirror and the
object is the same as the distance between the
virtual image and the mirror.

This file is exclusively for Engineering Physics 2 - NEU by LDH

What is the difference
between real and virtual
object?

The real object and the virtual

image are basically identical except
for one thing - the virtual image is
reversed.
Like what you see in ‘ɒmḓulɒᴎɔə’

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
There are curved mirrors. These
mirrors also reflect light, but
because they are curved the
virtual image will look
different. Curved mirrors produce
the effect of enlarging or
reducing.
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
There are two types of curved mirrors:
concave and convex. A spoon is a good
example of a reflecting surface with
one side being convex the other
concave. Concave increases the size of
the object while convex decreases the
size.

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
 Ray tracing
Three rays especially useful, however, any two rays is sufficient:
1. A ray that leaves from the top the object parallel to the axis of the
mirror. After reflection, this ray passes through the focal point (for
concave mirror), or seems to come from the focal point (for a convex
mirror).
2. A ray drawn from the top of the object passing through the focal
point (concave mirror), or is directed toward toward the focal point
(convex mirror). After reflection, this ray travel parallel to the axis of
the mirror.
3. A ray that leaves from the top of the object towards the radius of the
mirror. After reflection, this ray returns along the same radius
The point at which at least two rays described above meet is the
image point corresponding to the top of the object. Its distance from
the axis defines the height of the image, and its location along the
axis is the image location. The mirror equation and magnification
equation can be derived geometrically by considering these two
rays.
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
 Convex mirror
A convex mirror, fish eye mirror or diverging
mirror, is a curved mirror in which the
reflective surface bulges toward the light
source. Convex mirrors reflect light outwards,
therefore they are not used to focus light. Such
mirrors always form a virtual image, since the
focus (F) and the centre of curvature (2F or C)
are both imaginary points "inside" the mirror,
which cannot be reached.

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
 Convex Mirror: f = - R/2
R = radius of curvature
C or 2F = center of curvature
F = virtual focal point
f = focal length
R

C
F

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
How virtual image is formed?

This is the image formed whether S>F, S=F, or S<F

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
The Image

 always virtual (rays haven't actually passed

through the image, their extensions do),
 diminished (smaller), and
 upright .

These features make convex mirrors very useful:

everything appears smaller in the mirror. They
cover a wider field of view than a normal
plane mirror does as the image is "compressed".

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
 Uses
 The passenger-side mirror on a car is typically a convex mirror.
In some countries, these are labeled with the safety warning
"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear", to warn the
driver of the convex mirror's distorting effects on distance
perception. Convex mirrors are preferred in vehicles because
they give an upright, though diminished, image. Also they
provide a wider field of view as they are curved outwards.
 Convex mirrors are used in some automated teller machines as
a simple and handy security feature, allowing the users to see
what is happening behind them. Similar devices are sold to be
attached to ordinary computer monitors.
 Some camera phones use convex mirrors to allow the user to
correctly aim the camera while taking a self-portrait

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
Concave mirror

A concave mirror, or converging mirror, has a

reflecting surface that bulges inward (away from
the incident light). Concave mirrors reflect light
inward to one focal point. They are used to focus
light. Unlike convex mirrors, concave mirrors
show different image types depending on the
distance between the object and the mirror.

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
Concave Mirror: f = + R/2
R = radius of curvature
C = center of curvature
F = real focal point
f = focal length
R

C F

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
Ray tracing for
concave mirror

Image

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
 Image

This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson
This file is for exclusive use in my class Phy 271-NEU by Luzale Dioso-Henson