Ch 18

Mirrors and Lenses

Plane Mirror
 flat, smooth surface that
reflects light in a regular
way;
 it produces an image
that is virtual, erect, and
the same size as the
object;
 left and right appear to
be interchanged, but
front and back are
interchanged
 Types of Images
 Real image - source of converging light rays;
can be projected; are always inverted
 Virtual image - source of diverging light rays;
cannot be projected; are always erect
 Concave Mirror

 reflects light off its inner surface

 Focal point - (f) point on the principle axis where
reflecting light converges;
 f equals one-half the radius of curvature (C)
 Spherical Aberration

 defect of all spherical mirrors when the parallel rays

don’t all reflect through the focal point;
 correct this by using a parabolic mirror
Concave Mirror Characteristics
 If the object is outside
C, the image is real,
inverted, and smaller
Concave Mirror Characteristics
 If the object is at C, the
image is real, inverted,
and the same size
Concave Mirror Characteristics
 If the object is between
C and f, the image is
real, inverted, and larger
Concave Mirror Characteristics
 If the object is inside f,
the image is virtual,
erect, and larger
 Mirror Equation
 1 = 1 + 1 or di = f x do
f d o di do – f
 f is the focal length
 do is the object distance
 di is the image distance
 magnification - the ratio of the image size (hi) to the
object size (ho)
 m = hi = - di
ho do
 Mirror Equation Rules
 di is positive for real images, negative for
virtual images
 hi is positive for erect images, negative for
inverted images
 f is positive for concave mirrors, negative for
convex mirrors
Convex mirror
 reflects light off the
outer surface
 images are always
virtual, erect, and
smaller
 these are used as safety
mirrors because you get
a wider angle of vision
 Lens
 transparent material with a refractive index
larger than air
 The focal length of the lens depends on the
shape and refractive index of the material
 Convex Lens
 Convex lens - (converging lens) thicker in the
middle than at the edges; acts like a concave
mirror.
 Chromatic aberration - caused when light
passes thru the edge of a lens; the light is
dispersed; correct using an achromatic lens
Convex Lens Characteristics
 Outside 2f, image is
real, inverted, and
smaller
Convex Lens Characteristics
 At 2f, image is real,
inverted, and same size
Convex Lens Characteristics
 Between 2f and f, image
is real, inverted, and
larger
Convex Lens Characteristics
 Inside f, image is
virtual, erect, and larger
Concave lens
 (diverging lens) thinner
in the middle than at the
edges
 acts like a convex
mirror.
 Always produces
virtual, erect, and
smaller image
 Lens Equation Rules
 The equation and rules stay the same except f
is positive for convex lens and negative for
concave lens
Corrective Lenses
 Near-Sighted People

 have too short a focal length

 correct this using a concave (diverging) lens
 Far-Sighted People

 have too long a focal length,

 correct this using a convex (converging) lens