2.23 Plane Mirror Ray Diagrams

Viewing Images in Plane Mirrors

Question 2)� How can the light rays appear to go through an opaque mirror?

Get this graphic from your notes .

Place a MIRA or Reflect View on it as shown .

Place a MIRA or Reflect View on it as shown .

Place a MIRA or Reflect View on it as shown .

Notice that you can see an image in the “mirror”. If you look over the top, there is no image behind the mirror. The light rays must come from the object and reflect off the mirror . How do they do this?

Reality Check�Use a MIRA or Reflect View to see if the predicted image that you drew and the real image overlap. �If they do, the light rays must reflect as predicted.

Question answers follow.

Your Turn

3. In your notes, show how light is reflected from the mirror so that the eye sees the image behind it.

A) should look like this. Try B).

B) should look like this. Try C).

C) should look like this. Try D).

D) should look like this. Try the next questions.

3. Which Eye-Brains can see the object?

3. Which Eye-Brains can see the object?

C) and D) only. Light travels in a straight line from the object to the Eye-Brain. Rectilinear Propagation is the term for this.

4. Which Eye-Brains can see the image in the mirror?

4. Which Eye-Brains can see the image in the mirror?

A) C) and D) only. Light appears to travel in a straight line from the image to the Eye-Brain. Rectilinear Propagation is the term for this.

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Full Height Mirror

4. How big does a mirror have to be in order to see yourself from “Head to Toe”? (Hint: You see your image.)

As usual, find the location of the Image by measuring the perpendicular distance from the object to the mirror.

Copy this distance to the other side of the mirror.

This gives the location of the image.

Draw a ray of light entering the eye as if it had come straight from the top of the image.

This light ray really came from the top of the object.

Draw a ray of light entering the eye as if it had come straight from the bottom of the image.

This light ray really came from the bottom of the object and reflected off the mirror.

The large orange triangle has a height which is the distance from the object to the image (d_I+d_O = 2d_O ). ��Its base is the height of the person (two arrows).

The smaller light orange triangle has a height which is the distance from the object to the mirror (1 d_O ) or half the height of the larger triangle.��From similar triangles, the size of the mirror is half the height of the person.

8. Will the size of the mirror be affected by how far away you stand, if you still want to see yourself “Head to Toe”?

As usual, find the location of the image by measuring the perpendicular distance from the object to the mirror.

Copy this distance to the other side of the mirror.

This gives the location of the image.

Draw a ray of light entering the eye as if it had come straight from the top of the image.

This light ray really came from the top of the object.

Draw a ray of light entering the eye as if it had come straight from the bottom of the image.

This light ray really came from the bottom of the object and reflected off the mirror.

The large orange triangle has a height which is the distance from the object to the image (d_I+d_O = 2d_O ). ��Its base is the height of the person (two arrows).

As before, the smaller light orange triangle has a height equal to the distance from the object to the mirror (1 d_O ) or half the height of the larger triangle.��From similar triangles, the size of the mirror is half the height of the person.

So Where is the Image - Really�Below are two eye charts. One is inverted so that it is easily read in a mirror; the other is normal.��Each line is exactly half the size of the line above it.

An Inverted Eye Chart is held. Its reflection is viewed in a mirror.�

9. How difficult will it be to read the image of an Eye Chart held by the student? Explain your choice.

1. Would it be as difficult as reading an Eye Chart held half the distance to the mirror?

2. Would it be as difficult as reading an Eye Chart held at the distance of the mirror?

3. Would it be as difficult as reading an Eye Chart held twice the distance to the mirror?

Answer and Explanation follow. �Before looking at the theoretical (academic) solution, do the group lab.

The Image of an Eye Chart held by a student would be as far behind the mirror as the student is in front.

Therefore, it would be as difficult as reading an Eye Chart held twice the distance to the mirror.

10. If you can just read the middle line of an Eye Chart taped onto a mirror,

which line of the same sized Eye Chart would you be able to read when viewed in a mirror?�Would it be�a) one line up (2X’s larger),�b) the same line,�c) one line down (smaller by half)?

The size of the image viewed in a mirror is determined by the angle between the rays coming from the top and bottom of the Eye Chart image. ��This angle is the same as that of an Eye Chart one half as high as the mirror. The lines would all be shrunken by one half.��Therefore, you would only be able to read the larger lines (one up or 2X’s larger, on the image).