Reflection of Light Concepts

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the reflection of light as discussed in the lecture notes.

What is the law of reflection regarding incident rays, normal, and reflected rays?

The incident ray, normal to the mirror at the point of incidence, and reflected ray all lie in the same plane.

What happens to light rays that strike a concave mirror?

They converge at a point after reflection.

What kind of image is formed by a plane mirror?

A virtual, erect image that is the same size as the object.

What is the focal length relationship for spherical mirrors?

The radius of curvature, R, is equal to 2 times the focal length, f, i.e., R = 2f.

What type of mirror always forms a virtual and diminished image?

A convex mirror.

What is a virtual image?

An image from which light rays appear to diverge but do not actually converge.

What is the image distance for an object placed at the center of curvature (C) in a concave mirror?

The image is formed at the center of curvature, with the same size as the object and real and inverted.

What occurs when an object is placed beyond the center of curvature in a concave mirror?

The image formed is real, inverted, and diminished.

What type of magnification does a rear-view mirror (convex mirror) produce?

Magnification less than one, producing a diminished image.

What is the effect of covering part of a mirror with a non-reflecting substance?

The intensity of the image decreases, but the position of the image remains the same.