Mirrors and Lenses A mirror is a sheet of glass that has a smooth, silver-colored coating on one side. When light passes through the glass, the coating on the back reflects the light regularly, allowing you to see an image. An image is a copy of an object formed by reflected or refracted rays of light. Images can be identical, larger, or smaller, depending on the shape of the mirror. Plane Mirrors A plane mirror is a flat mirror. A plane mirror produces an image that is right-side up and the same size as the object being reflected. (a virtual image) Virtual images are right-side up, or upright. The brain treats reflected rays as if they had come from behind the mirror, and so that is where an image appears to be located.
Concave Mirrors A mirror with a surface that curves inward like the inside of a bowl is a concave mirror. A concave mirror reflects rays of light so that they meet at a point called the focal point. Concave mirrors can form either virtual images or real images – depends on whether the object is closer to the mirror than the focal point or farther away from the mirror than the focal point. Object/focal point/mirror = real image Focal point/object/mirror = virtual image A real image is formed when rays actually meet at a point and the image appears to be upside-down, or inverted. Examples – car headlights, makeup mirrors
Convex Mirrors A mirror with a surface that curves outward is called a convex mirror. Reflected light rays spread out but appear to come from a focal point behind the mirror. Since the rays do not meet, images formed by convex mirrors are always virtual. Images appear smaller and farther away than the actual object. Examples: Car door mirrors
Convex Lenses Concave Lenses A lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges. Can form real and virtual images If object is less than 1 focal length away, virtual image If object is more than 2 focal lengths away, real image Examples: Magnifying lenses and camera lenses Concave Lenses A lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges. Only forms virtual images Examples: Microscopes and eyeglasses