Concept explainers
What is the focal length of a plane mirror? What is the magnification of a plane mirror?
The focal length of a plane mirror and the magnification of a plane mirror
Answer to Problem 2Q
Solution:
The focal length of a plane mirror is infinity. The magnification of a plane mirror is one.
Explanation of Solution
Given:
A plane mirror
Formula used:
The mirror equation is given by
Where
The magnification, m, of a mirror is given by
Where, the negative sign indicates as the convention.
Calculation:
The image of a plane mirror will always be upright, same size as the object and will be located far behind the mirror as the object is in front of the mirror.
The image formed by the plane mirror is the virtual image formed behind the mirror. The distance from the image to the mirror is always identical to the distance from the object to the mirror.
A spherical mirror becomes equivalent to a plane mirror when the limit of is radius of curvature tends to infinity.
Hence, the mirror formula can be applied to the plane mirror also.
The plane mirror, the distance of the object is equal to the distance of the image and the image is formed behind the mirror. Hence,
Then, the focal length is given by
Then, the magnification of the plane mirror is
Chapter 23 Solutions
Physics: Principles with Applications
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