Do we need a screen to view a real image?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the necessity of a screen to view a real image, particularly in the context of optical phenomena such as those produced by concave mirrors and lenses. Participants explore concepts related to real images, optical illusions, and the nature of image formation in various environments, including air and vacuum.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether a screen is necessary to view a real image, using the example of a concave mirror and asking if the image is "floating" in air.
  • Another participant suggests that to see the image, one must look from the correct angle, indicating that the image is indeed between the lens and the observer's eye.
  • Some participants assert that images can float in air and clarify that air particles do not act as a screen.
  • There is a distinction made between real images and virtual images, with some arguing that the real image is formed on the retina, while others maintain that the image is genuinely present in space.
  • Participants reference optical instruments, noting that real images can be observed through devices like telescopes and microscopes without needing a physical screen.
  • One participant emphasizes that the perception of an image floating is not an illusion, but rather a characteristic of real images, which are formed by converging light rays.
  • Another participant reiterates the idea that everything seen is due to real images formed on the retina, regardless of the nature of the external image.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether a screen is necessary to view a real image, with some asserting that it is not needed while others discuss the implications of real versus virtual images. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the nature of image visibility and formation.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved definitions regarding real and virtual images, as well as the conditions under which images can be perceived in different environments, such as air versus vacuum.

hasankamal007
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So, the question I ask is simple : " Is a screen necessary to view a real image?"

For example, when I view my image at the 'concave mirror' side of a spoon, a real image is visible. Now, according to my book the image location should be between Centre and Focus. So, is the image actually kinda floating in air before spoon. If that is the case, why can't I see this air-suspended image from somewhere else.
Can the images float like this in air? Or is it the air particles that become the screen in this case? Will this floating image be visible in a vacuum also?

Please explain as well.
Thanks a lot in advance.
 
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hasankamal007 said:
why can't I see this air-suspended image from somewhere else.

You have to look at it from the right direction. Place your eye along the axis of the lens, on the image side, further away from the lens than the image location (maybe about 30 cm further away), and look towards the lens.

At first glance, the image looks like it's "inside" the lens, but if you move your head around so as to look at the image from slightly different directions, you should be able to convince yourself that the image is actually between the lens and your eye.

Hold a pencil or pen point between the lens and your eye, and move it back and forth. You should be able to put it in a location where the image appears to be "stuck" to it as you move your head from side to side.
 
hasankamal007 said:
Can the images float like this in air?
Yes.
Or is it the air particles that become the screen in this case?
No.
Will this floating image be visible in a vacuum also?
Yes.
 
You don't need a screen to see a real image but (putting things the other way round) to see an image on a screen (project it), it has to be real. All this means is that the rays (in a ray construction) actually emanate from real locations in space. So the rays have to converge at that point - so they can then leave the point and reach your eye.
Plenty of optical instruments have real images formed inside them - like telescopes and microscopes - you then observe this real image with an eyepiece which then forms a virtual image at a convenient distance for viewing.
 
What you are talking about is an optical illusion. The image only seems to float in mid air. There is nothing at that location. The real image location is on your retina. That's why it is also called a virtual image.
 
DrZoidberg said:
What you are talking about is an optical illusion. The image only seems to float in mid air. There is nothing at that location. The real image location is on your retina. That's why it is also called a virtual image.
You have it backwards. In this case the image is actually "floating" in mid air--it's no illusion. That's why it's called a real image--the light is really there.
 
DrZoidberg said:
What you are talking about is an optical illusion. The image only seems to float in mid air. There is nothing at that location. The real image location is on your retina. That's why it is also called a virtual image.

Everything you see is because of a real image formed on your retina. Your eye lens forms that, whether the (outside) image you are looking at is real or virtual.
 

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