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WhyisanImageFormed?
WhyisanImageFormed?
ImageCharacteristics
RayDiagrams
WhatPortionofaMirrorisRequired?
RightAngleMirrors
OtherMultipleMirrorSystems

InLesson1ofthisunitofthePhysicsClassroomTutorial,themannerinwhichlightreflectedoffobjects
inordertoallowustoseethemwasdiscussed.Amajorprincipleinthatlessonwasexpressedas
follows:

Inordertoviewanobject,youmustsightalongalineatthatobjectandwhenyoudolight
willcomefromthatobjecttoyoureyealongthelineofsight.

Thisveryprinciplecanbeextendedtothetaskofviewingtheimageofanobjectinaplane(i.e.,flat)
mirror:

Inordertoseetheimageofanobjectinamirror,youmustsightattheimagewhenyousight
attheimage,lightwillcometoyoureyealongthatlineofsight.

Theimagelocationisthuslocatedatthatpositionwhereobserversaresightingwhenviewingtheimage
ofanobject.Itisthelocationbehindthemirrorwhereallthelightappearstodivergefrom.Inthe
diagrambelow,threeindividualsaresightingattheimageofanobjectalongthreedifferentlinesof
sight.Eachpersonseestheimageduetothereflectionoflightoffthemirrorinaccordancewiththelaw
ofreflection.Wheneachlineofsightisextendedbackwards,eachlinewillintersectatthesamepoint.
Thispointistheimagepointoftheobject.

LocatinganImageviaParallax
ThisprinciplecanbeillustratedinaPhysicsclassusinga5footplanemirrorandapairoflarge
cylinders.Onecylinderisplacedinfrontofthemirrorandstudentsfromdifferentlocationsintheroom
areaskedtosightatitsimage.Thesecondcylinderisthenalignedalongthelineofsightand
readjusteduntilitisinlinewitheachperson'slineofsight.Regardlessofwhoisviewingtheimageand
fromwheretheyareviewingtheimage,eachsightlinemustintersectinthesamelocation.Itispossible
thatthesecondcylinderisalignedwithonestudent'slineofsightbutnotwithanotherstudent's.Ifthis
isso,thenthecylinderisnotplacedattheexactlocationoftheimage.Thisisdepictedinthediagram
below.

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Inacasesuchasthis,thecylinderpositionisadjusteduntilitislocatedatthepositionwhereall
studentsintheclassroomcanseeitextendingabovethemirrorandinlinewiththeimagethateach
studentseeswhenlookinginthemirror.Only,thencanweconcludethecylinderislocatedattheimage
position.

WhoCanSeeanImage?
Sincethereisonlyoneimageforanobjectplacedinfrontofaplanemirror,itisreasonablethatevery
sightlinewouldintersectinasinglelocation.Thislocationofintersectionisknownastheimage
location.Theimagelocationissimplytheonelocationinspacewhereitseemstoeveryobserverthat
thelightisdivergingfrom.Regardlessofwheretheobserverislocated,whentheobserversightsatthe
imagelocation,theobserverissightingalongalinetowardsthesamelocationthatallotherobservers
aresighting.Andasmentionedinanearlierlesson,theperpendiculardistancefromthisimagelocation
tothemirrorisequaltotheperpendiculardistancefromtheobjectlocationtothemirror.Infact,the
imagelocationisdirectlyacrossthemirrorfromtheobjectlocationandanequaldistancefromthe
mirror.

Ofcourse,itispossiblethatcertainindividualsintheroomwillbeunabletoviewtheimageofanobject
inaplanemirror.Becauseoftheperson'spositionrelativetotheimagepositionandtotheextremities
ofthemirror,thepersonisunabletodetectarayoflightreflectingtotheireyeastheysightatthe
imagelocation.Thisdoesnotmeanthatthereisnoimage.Indeed,anyobjectpositionedinfrontofa
planemirror(oreventothesideoftheplanemirror)hasanimageregardlessofwhetherthereare
peoplepositionedinanappropriatelocationtoviewit.Inthediagrambelow,thereisanimageofan
objectlocatedontheothersideofthemirror.However,RayZuvliteisunabletoviewtheimagedueto
hispositionintheroom.Rayiscertainlyabletosightinthedirectionoftheimagelocation.However,
thelightfromtheobjectisunabletoreflectoffthemirrorinaccordancewiththelawofreflectionand
traveltohiseyealonghislineofsight.Sincelightfromtheobjectdoesnotmakeittohiseye,Rayis
unabletoseetheimageoftheobjectinthemirror.

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Ofcourse,thisproblemcouldberemediedifthemirrorwerewider,iftheobjectweremovedtotheleft
orclosertothemirror,and/orifRaymovedtotheleft.Repositioningtheobject,themirror,and/orthe
personcouldresultinarayoflightfromtheobjectreflectingoffthemirrorandtravelingtoRay'seye.
Thediagrambelowdepictsthisremedy.

HowDoesReflectionLeadtotheFormationofImages?
Sowhyisanimageformedbyaplanemirror?Animageisformedbecauselightemanatesfroman
objectinavarietyofdirections.Someofthislight(whichwerepresentbyrays)reachesthemirrorand
reflectsoffthemirroraccordingtothelawofreflection.Eachoneoftheseraysoflightcanbeextended
backwardsbehindthemirrorwheretheywillallintersectatapoint(theimagepoint).Anypersonwho
ispositionedalongthelineofoneofthesereflectedrayscansightalongthelineandviewtheimagea
representationoftheobject.

ThisprincipleofimageformationisoftenappliedinaPhysicslab.Supposethatamirrorisplacedona
sheetofpaperthatisplacedontopofapieceofcardboard.Apinispositionedinanuprightposition
(andheldinplacebythecardboard)atalocationinfrontofthemirror.Astudentcansightalongaline
attheimageofthepinfromavarietyoflocations.Withoneeyeclosed,astraightedgeisusedtoassist
indrawingthelinesofsight.Theselinesofsightaredrawnfromavarietyofsightinglocations.Each
lineofsightcanbeextendedbackwardsbeyondthemirror.Ifthesightlinesaredrawncorrectly,then
eachlinewillintersectatthesamelocation.Thelocationofintersectionofallsightlinesistheimage
location.Validationoftheaccuracyofyoursightingandraytracingcanbeaccomplishedbymeasuring
anglesofincidenceandanglesofreflectiononthediagram.Theseshouldbeequalforeachindividual
sightline.Thatis,angleAshouldequalangleBangleCshouldequalangleDandangleEshould
equalangleF.Finally,theobjectdistancecanbecomparedtotheimagedistancetheseshouldalsobe
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