REFLECTION ON CURVED MIRROR-TYPES, IMAGE PRODUCED, USES AND MIRROR FORMULAE
SUBJECT: PHYSICS
CLASS: SS 2
DATE:
TERM: 3rd TERM
REFERENCE TEXTBOOKS
WEEK TWO
TOPIC: REFLECTION ON CURVED MIRROR-TYPES, IMAGE PRODUCED, USES AND MIRROR FORMULAE
TYPES OF CURVED MIRROR
When a shell of a hollow sphere of glass is made out of a piece of glass and then silvered, a curved or spherical mirror is obtained. These mirrors due to their curvature form images that are quite different from plane mirrors.
If the glass is silvered from outside so that light can be reflected from inside, it is called concave or converging mirror.
Convex mirror
If the coating is done so that the reflection is from outside, it is called convex or diverging mirror.
ESSENTIAL PARTS OF CURVED MIRROR
The essential parts of spherical mirrors are the aperture, the plow, the centre of curvature, the radius of curvature.
The aperture is the width (AB) of the mirror. The pole (P) is the centre of the reflecting surface of the curved mirror. The centre of curvature (c) is the centre of the sphere of which the mirror forms a part.
The radius of curvature is the distance from the pole to the centre of curvature (cp). It is the radius of curvature that determines the action of a curved mirror. For concave mirror, the radius of curvature is in front while it is behind for convex mirror.
The principal axis is the parallel line (pc) from the pole to the centre of curvature. When a beam of light is incident on a curved mirror, the rays are reflected or diverge from a point
called a focus.
The principal focus of a concave mirror is the point where rays that are parallel and close to the principal axis converge after reflection.
The principal focus of a convex mirror is the point from which rays parallel and close to the principal axis appear to diverge after reflection.
Hence, the focus of a concave mirror is real since the converging rays can be seen on the screen but of convex mirror is virtual. The focal length, f, of a spherical mirror is half of its radius of curvature.
r = 2f or f = r/2
r= radius of curvature f = focal length
FORMATION OF IMAGES BY SPHERICAL MIRROR
The position and nature of images formed by curved mirrors can be investigated by placing a brightly lit object and a screen in front of the mirror so that the light from the object is incident on the mid-point of the mirror.
RULES FOR CONSTRUCTING IMAGES FORMED BY SPHERICAL MIRROR
Rays diagrams can be constructed for images formed by spherical mirror based on the following rules:
IMAGES FORMED BY CONCAVE MIRROR
(a) OBJECT AT INFINITY
The image is
(1) OBJECT BETWEEN F AND P
(b) OBJECT BEYOND C
The image is
(c) OBJECT AT C
The image is
(d) OBJECT BETWEEN F AND C
The image is
(e) OBJECT AT F
(1) the image is at infinity
IMAGE FORMED BY CONVEX MIRROR
Whatever the position of the object in a convex mirror, virtual images which are always erect and smaller than the object are formed.
APPLICATION OF THE REFLECTION OF LIGHT
Concave mirrors are used in torches, as shaving mirror, in car headlamp and in reflecting telescope. Convex mirrors are used as driving mirrors because they give erect image and have a wide field of view than a plane mirror of the same diameter.
MIRROR FORMULAE
The image distance, V, the object distance, U, and the final length, f, of a mirror or lens is related by
1 + 1 = 1
V U F
When 1/U is plotted against 1/V, the intercept on either axes is equal to 1/F, from which the focal length can be calculated. The focal length is equal to the slope of the graph of UV against U + V.
MAGNIFICATION
The linear or transverse magnification of a mirror is the number of times the image is bigger than the object.
M = image height
Object height
M = image distance
object distance
EXAMPLE
An object is placed 30cm from a concave mirror focal length 15cm. Find the magnification of the image produced.
U = 30cm
F = 15cm
V = ?
1 + 1 = 1
V U F
1/15 = 1/30 + 1/v
1/15 – 1/30 = 1/V
2 – 1 = 1/v
30
1/30 = 1/V
V = 30cm
But m = v/u
= 30/30 = 1
(2) Find the expression for linear magnification produced by a concave mirror of radius of curvature, r, if u and v are the object and image distances respectively.
1 + 1 = 1
V U F
F = r/2
1 + 1 = 2
U V r
Multiply throughout V,
V + V = 2V
U V 2r
M = 2v – 1
R
USES OF CURVED MIRROR
Concave mirrors are used as shaving mirror, as reflectors in reflecting telescopes and microscope
EVALUATION
General Evaluation:
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
is the distance of the film from the pin hole (a) 3.75cm (b) 7.50cm (c) 15cm (d) 30.0cm
(a) brighter and blurred (b)brighter and larger (c)brighter and sharper (d)blurred and larger
5 A man at the back of a crowd watches a parade by holding a plane mirror just above his head the parade passes 6m behind his head and the mirror is 0.25m in front of the man how far does the image in the mirror appear to be from the man?
(a) 6.50m (b) 6. 25m (c) 6.00m (d)5.75m
Theory
Draw the position and nature of the image produced by an object placed at the following points on the concave mirror
1 Between F and P
2 At F
3 At C
4 Between F and C
5 Beyond C
6 At infinity
READING ASSIGNMENT
New school physics for senior sec pages 288-293
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