Chapter 36 - Images Formation - Flat Mirrors and Spherical Mirrors

Oct 25, 2026

Chapter 36 explains how images are formed in optical systems, focusing on reflection and basic optical modeling. It defines object distance p and image distance q for a flat mirror, showing the image point lies behind the mirror and is virtual and upright. It also clarifies that a flat mirror causes front-back reversal rather than true left-right reversal. The chapter then introduces spherical mirrors, distinguishing concave and convex types, defining curvature parameters and the principal axis, and describing how paraxial rays form real images while rays farther from the axis lead to spherical aberration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages78

Reading Time3 h 17 min

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36.1 Images Formed by Flat Mirrors

Object distance and image distance

Lateral magnification and reversal

36.2 Images Formed by Spherical Mirrors

Concave and convex mirrors

Curvature parameters and principal axis

Real images and spherical aberration

Chapter 36Image Formation In this chapter you will Cover:Chapter 36 (Serway-9th edition) 36.1 Images Formed by Flat Mirrors 36.2 Images Formed by Spherical Mirrors 36.3 Images Formed by Refraction 36.4 Images Formed by Thin Lenses 36.5 Lens Aberrations 36.6 The Camera 36.7 The Eye 36.8 The Simple Magnifier 36.9 The Compound Microscope 36.10 The TelescopeSheren lsalmi # 36.1 Images Formed by Flat Mirror The image point Iis locatedbehind the mirror a distanceq from the mirror.The imageis virtual. ·Consider a source of light at point O at distance p infront of a flat mirror.p is called the object distance. ·The extension of the diverged rays(dashed lines)meet atan intersection point I that has a distance q behind themirror.The distance q is called the image distance. ·The image formed by a flat mirror is a virtual image Figure 36.1 An image formedby reflection from a flat mirror. Images Formed by Flat Mirror|p|=|4 h=h' Lateral Magnification: Figure 36.2 A geometric con-struction that is used to locate theimage of an object placed in frontof a flat mirror. ·For a flat mirror:M=+1 ·The +sign means that the image isupright Because the triangles PQRand P'QRare congruent,lpl=lqland h=h'. Images Formed by Flat Mirror A flat mirror produces an image that hasan apparent left-right reversal.However,the flat mirror does NOT actually have aleft-right reversal. The flat mirror has a front-back reversal Note:left-right reversal is a rotation by 1800Front-back reversal happens when the picture isreversed front to back with no rotation ◎Cengage Learning/GeorgeSemple The thumb is on the left side ofboth real hands and on the leftside of the image.That the thumbis not on the right side of theimage indicates that there is noleft-to-right reversal. Figure 36.3 The image in the mir-ror of aperson's right hand is reversedfront to back,which makes the righthand appear to be a left hand. Images Formed by Flat Mirror To sum up,for a flat mirror: 1. The image is virtual,upright 2.The reversal is a front-back and not a left-right. # 36.2 Images Formed by Spherical Mirror ·Spherical mirror:has a shape of a section of a sphere. ·There are two types of spherical mirrors:Concave mirrors and Convex mirrors Concave Mirror Convex Mirror # Images Formed by Spherical Mirror Concave Mirrors ·R:radius of the curvature ·C:center of curvature ·V:center of the spherical section. ·Principal axis:the line through C and V ·Concave mirror focuses incoming parallel rays to a point asshown in the picture below. as Henry eapand Jim Lehman Images Formed by Spherical Mirror If the rays diverge fromOat small angles,theyall reflect through thesame image point I. ·Consider a point source at point O,where O is any pointon the principal axis to the left of C. ·Two diverging light rays that originated at O are shown. ·We use only rays that diverge from the object and make asmall angle with the principal axis.Such rays are calledparaxial rays. ·After reflecting from the mirror,these rays converge andcross at the image point I. ·Then,the rays continue to diverge from I as if an objectwere there.Therefore,the image at point I is real. Images Formed by Spherical Mirror ·Rays that are far from the principal axis (see Figure)converge to other points onthe principal axis producing a blurred image. ·This effect is called spherical aberration.

FAQs

How do paraxial rays behave with a concave spherical mirror?

Paraxial rays reflect and converge to a common image point, after which they diverge as if they originated from that point. This makes the image at the point I real.

Oct 25, 2026

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