Where will the image be formed?

  • #1
navneet9431
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Suppose light rays from an object fall perpendicular to the surface of the plane mirror.
Will the image be formed at +infinity(a virtual image) or -infinity(a real image)?

I will be thankful for help!
 

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Answers and Replies

  • #2
.Scott
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In your diagram, the virtual image will be at ##+ \infty## (plus infinity).
There will also be a real image at ##- \infty## (minus infinity).

However, these terms (real and virtual image) are normally used with images that converge without going to infinity.

Normally, a plano mirror will only yield a virtual image - one that appears behind the mirror.
But in your drawing, you are showing the image originating from minus infinity - which is a special case.
 
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  • #3
sophiecentaur
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But in your drawing, you are showing the image originating from minus infinity - which is a special case.
That's by treating the plane mirror as the limiting case a concave mirror with radius approaching infinity, I think. For a concave mirror with finite radius, there is an object distance where the image position hops from - to + ∞ (and for many other optical arrangements).
Hyperphysics has some good diagrams of what happens with concave mirrors - just extend the idea to a mirror with infinite r.
 

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