Spherical Mirrors and Light Reflection Flashcards

Flashcards covering the terminology, types, and image characteristics of spherical mirrors and light reflection.

Concave mirror

A spherical mirror that is bulging inwards.

Convex mirror

A spherical mirror that is bulging outwards.

Pole ($p$)

The mid-point on the surface of a spherical mirror.

Centre of Curvature ($c$)

The centre of the sphere of which a spherical mirror is a part.

Radius of Curvature ($R$)

The distance between the pole and the centre of curvature.

Principal axis

The imaginary line passing through the pole and the centre of curvature.

Converging

The process by which parallel beams incident on a concave mirror move towards the principal axis.

Focus ($F$)

The point on the principal axis through which reflected rays of parallel beams converge (in concave mirrors) or seem to be diverging from (in convex mirrors).

Focal Length ($f$)

The distance between the pole and the focus.

Quantum theory

The theory stating that light has both wave and particle characteristics.

Virtual Image

A kind of image that can be seen without a screen and is always erected.

Real Image

A kind of image that can be seen with the help of a screen and is always inverted.

$$u$$

The symbol used to represent object distance.

$$v$$

The symbol used to represent image distance.

Point-sized Image

The size of the image formed at the focus when the object is placed at infinity.

Diminished Image

An image that is smaller than the object, formed when an object is placed beyond the centre of curvature of a concave mirror.

Magnified Image

An image that is bigger than the object, formed when an object is placed between the focus and the centre of curvature or at the focus.

Erected Image

A characteristic attributed to all virtual images, meaning they are oriented upright.