The plane mirror problem is a classic physics problem that involves understanding the reflection of light by a flat, smooth surface. It is commonly used to demonstrate the principles of optics and the law of reflection.
A plane mirror reflects light by bouncing the light off its smooth surface at an angle equal to the angle of incidence (the angle between the incident ray and the normal to the mirror's surface). This is known as the law of reflection.
A real image is formed when light rays actually converge at a point, while a virtual image is formed when the light rays only appear to converge when traced back. In the plane mirror problem, a virtual image is always formed as the light rays do not actually converge behind the mirror.
The image in a plane mirror appears to be the same size as the object because the distance between the object and the mirror is equal to the distance between the mirror and the image. This creates the illusion of the image being the same size as the object.
The plane mirror problem has practical applications in various fields such as architecture, design, and medicine. For example, plane mirrors are used in periscopes to see around corners, in dressing rooms to provide a full view of an outfit, and in dental clinics to help dentists see inside a patient's mouth.