Shortest mirror that will work

[parya23]

Shortest mirror that will work...

1. How long does a "full length" mirror have to be to allow you to see your whole body? What is the shortest mirror that will work? How should a mirror be positioned?

 

[Tide]

What, exactly, have you done so far?

 

[parya23]

I haven't actually taken out a mirror to experiment with, if that's what you are asking.

 

[parya23]

This is a bonus question on a test and I am not sure if there is a definite answer for it or not.

 

[Tide]

I wasn't asking whether you had taken out a mirror. You asked a question in the homework section and it's reasonable to expect you to show some of your work if you expect help - per house rules.

 

[parya23]

I see. We just covered optics in class, so I am trying to demonstrate my answer with ray diagrams and show with arrows the light rays from the image (me) to the mirror and back to my eye. Not sure what the distance and the angles are though.

 

[DaveC426913]

Not sure what the distance and the angles are though.

Unless I miss my guess, you should discover that distances and angles are effectively irrelevant - you'll be able to make a general case that uses algebra instead of numbers.

 

[Tide]

Your ray diagrams should reveal that if the (flat) mirror is vertical then it should be half your height. And if you can see that then you will know "how it should be positioned."

 

[parya23]

I just tried setting up a proportion equation to see if that would help. (size of the mirror/how much of my body I can see.)

This is random but can't I say that I could just stand on a mirror and see my whole body that way?!?: