RAY DIAGRAM

A RAY DIAGRAM IS A DIAGRAM THAT TRACES THE PATH THAT

LIGHT TAKES IN ORDER FOR A PERSON TO VIEW A POINT ON THE
IMAGE OF AN OBJECT. ON THE DIAGRAM, RAYS (LINES WITH
ARROWS) ARE DRAWN FOR THE INCIDENT RAY AND THE
REFLECTED RAY.
 USE OF RAY DIAGRAMS
 RAY DIAGRAMS CAN BE PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR
DETERMINING AND EXPLAINING WHY ONLY A PORTION
OF THE IMAGE OF AN OBJECT CAN BE SEEN FROM A
GIVEN LOCATION.
 RAY DIAGRAMS ARE USEFUL TOOLS FOR DETERMINING
AND EXPLAINING WHAT OBJECTS MIGHT BE VIEWED
WHEN SIGHTING INTO A MIRROR FROM A GIVEN
LOCATION.
 RAY DIAGRAM
CONSTRUCTION FOR
CONCAVE MIRROR
FORMATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
IMAGES BY A CONCAVE MIRROR
• CASE 1: OBJECT PLACED BETWEEN POLE AND FOCUS OF THE
MIRROR .
• CASE 2: OBJECT PLACED AT THE FOCUS.
• CASE 3: OBJECT PLACED BETWEEN FOCUS AND CENTRE OF
CURVATURE.
• CASE 4: OBJECT PLACED AT THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE.
• CASE 5: OBJECT PLACED BEYOND THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE.
• CASE 6: OBJECT PLACED AT INFINITY.
CASE 1: OBJECT PLACED BETWEEN
POLE AND FOCUS OF THE MIRROR.

WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED BETWEEN

PRINCIPAL FOCUS AND POLE OF A CONCAVE
MIRROR, AN ENLARGED, VIRTUAL AND ERECT
IMAGE IS FORMED BEHIND THE MIRROR.
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• BEHIND THE MIRROR
• ENLARGED
• VIRTUAL AND ERECT
CASE 2 :OBJECT PLACED AT THE
FOCUS
WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED AT PRINCIPAL
FOCUS (F) OF A CONCAVE MIRROR, A
HIGHLY ENLARGED IMAGE IS FORMED AT
INFINITY.
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• AT INFINITY
• HIGHLY ENLARGED
• REAL AND INVERTED
CASE 3: OBJECT PLACED
BETWEEN FOCUS AND CENTRE OF
CURVATURE
WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED BETWEEN CENTRE
OF CURVATURE AND PRINCIPAL FOCUS OF
CONCAVE MIRROR, A REAL IMAGE IS FORMED
BEYOND THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE (C).
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• BEYOND THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE
• LARGER THAN OBJECT
• REAL AND INVERTED
OBJECT PLACED AT THE CENTRE
OF CURVATURE
WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED AT CENTRE OF
CURVATURE (C) OF A CONCAVE MIRROR, A REAL
AND INVERTED IMAGE IS FORMED AT THE SAME
POSITION.
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• AT THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE
• SAME SIZE AS OBJECT
• REAL AND INVERTED
OBJECT PLACED BEYOND THE
CENTRE OF CURVATURE
WHEN OBJECT IS PLACED BETWEEN INFINITY AND
CENTRE OF CURVATURE OF A CONCAVE MIRROR
THE IMAGE IS FORMED BETWEEN CENTRE OF
CURVATURE (C) AND FOCUS (F).
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• AT THE FOCUS
• DIMINISHED COMPARED TO OBJECT
• REAL AND INVERTED
OBJECT PLACED AT
INFINITY
SINCE PARALLEL RAYS COMING FROM THE OBJECT
CONVERGE AT PRINCIPAL FOCUS, F OF A
CONCAVE MIRROR; AFTER REFLECTION. HENCE,
WHEN THE OBJECT IS AT INFINITY THE IMAGE WILL
FORM AT F.
PROPERTIES OF IMAGE:
• POINT SIZED
• HIGHLY DIMINISHED
• REAL AND INVERTED
FORMATION OF
DIFFERENT TYPES OF
IMAGES BY A CONVEX
MIRROR
 THE IMAGE FORMED IN A CONVEX MIRROR
IS ALWAYS VIRTUAL AND ERECT, WHATEVER
BE THE POSITION OF THE OBJECT. NOW,
LET’S STUDY THE TYPES OF IMAGES FORMED
BY A CONVEX MIRROR.
CASE 1: WHEN THE OBJECT IS
PLACED AT INFINITY
WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED AT INFINITY, THE
TWO RAYS AD AND BE WHICH RUN PARALLEL TO
THE PRINCIPAL AXIS GETS DIVERGED IN THE
DIRECTIONS DG AND EH RESPECTIVELY AFTER
GETTING REFLECTED FROM THE CONVEX MIRROR.
WHEN THE DIVERGED RAYS DG AND EH ARE
EXTENDED BACKWARDS, THEY INTERSECT EACH
OTHER AT THE PRINCIPAL FOCUS F.
 THEREFORE, IN CONVEX MIRROR IF THE OBJECT IS
PRESENT AT INFINITY THEN THE IMAGE IS FORMED BEHIND
THE MIRROR AT THE PRINCIPAL FOCUS, WHICH IS HIGHLY
DIMINISHED, VIRTUAL AND ERECT.
WHEN THE OBJECT IS PLACED ANYWHERE
BETWEEN POLE AND INFINITY
IF THE OBJECT IS PLACED ANYWHERE BETWEEN THE
POLE AND INFINITY, A RAY OF LIGHT AD STARTING FROM
POINT A OF THE OBJECT WHICH RUN PARALLEL TO THE
PRINCIPAL AXIS GETS REFLECTED ALONG DX. ON
PRODUCING BACK, DX APPEARS TO COME FROM F.
ANOTHER RAY AE FROM POINT A OF THE OBJECT WHICH
GO TOWARDS THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE IS REFLECTED
BACK ALONG EA
THESE TWO REFLECTED RAYS I.E. DX AND EA ARE
DIVERGING RAYS AND APPEARS TO INTERSECT EACH
OTHER AT POINT A’ WHEN PRODUCED BACK. SO IN THIS
CASE THE IMAGE IS FORMED BEHIND THE MIRROR,
BETWEEN THE POLE AND THE PRINCIPAL FOCUS, WHICH IS
DIMINISHED, VIRTUAL AND ERECT.