How Do You Calculate the Image Distance and Diameter Using a Spherical Mirror?

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I}{O}In summary, the keck telescope, with a reflective surface of 5 metre radius of curvature, can produce an image of the sun that is approximately the same as a parabola. The image distance from the mirror can be calculated using the thin lens equation, and the magnification can be calculated using the ratio of the image and object distances. Further information is needed to determine the exact position and diameter of the image of the sun.
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qman
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taking that the sun is 150 million km's away, the keck telescope has a reflective surface with a 5 metre radius of curvature. if the disk of the sun subtends to an angle of 0.5 degree at the earth, adn assuming that the mirror is concae spherically what are the position and diameter of the image of the sun.

so yeah basicall i need a) image distance frlom the mirror
and b) image diameter

please help in any way u can asap as the question is due today :$
 
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qman said:
taking that the sun is 150 million km's away, the keck telescope has a reflective surface with a 5 metre radius of curvature. if the disk of the sun subtends to an angle of 0.5 degree at the earth, adn assuming that the mirror is concae spherically what are the position and diameter of the image of the sun.

so yeah basicall i need a) image distance frlom the mirror
and b) image diameter
A spherical mirror can be thought of as a thin lens except that the light reflects backward instead of going through it.

The focal length of a spherical mirror is approximately the same as that of a parabola. Work the focal length of a circle [itex](y+r)^2 + x^2 = r^2[/itex] that is approximately equal to a parabola: [itex]x^2 = 4py[/itex] where p is the focal length of the parabola. The approximation of a parabola to a circle is where y is very small.

Use the thin lens equation to work out the image distance from the object distance and focal length:

[tex]\frac{1}{O} + \frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{i}[/tex]

What is the magnification?

AM
 
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1. What is optics?

Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the instruments used to detect and measure it.

2. What are the different subfields of optics?

The main subfields of optics include geometric optics, which studies light as rays and how they interact with mirrors and lenses, and physical optics, which focuses on the wave-like nature of light and its interactions with materials.

3. How does light travel?

Light travels in straight lines at a constant speed of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. It can also travel through certain materials, such as air and water, but its speed may change.

4. What is the difference between reflection and refraction?

Reflection occurs when light bounces off a surface, while refraction is the bending of light as it passes through a material with a different density. This is why objects appear distorted when viewed through water or a glass lens.

5. How is optics used in everyday life?

Optics has a wide range of applications in everyday life, including in cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and eyeglasses. It is also used in communication technologies such as fiber optics and in medical imaging techniques like MRI and ultrasound.

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