Mirrors and Reflection of Light

Mirror

Any surface smooth enough to produce a regular reflection of light incident upon it.

Plane Mirror

Mirror with a flat surface.

Spherical Mirror

Mirror with a reflecting surface taken from the surface of a sphere.

Concave Mirror

Mirror that curves inwards in the direction of the incident rays.

Convex Mirror

Mirror that bulges outward to the incident rays.

Real Image

Formed by actual intersection of reflected rays.

Virtual Image

Image formed behind the mirror and is upright relative to the object.

Center of Curvature (C)

Center of sphere where mirror was taken.

Radius of Curvature

Radius of the sphere.

Principal Axis

Straight line joining C and V.

Center of the Mirror

Vertex.

Focus (F)

Point where reflected rays meet.

Focal Length

Distance from the vertex to the principal focus.

Magnification

Size of the image relative to the object.

Reflection

Bouncing back of light to the original medium where it has been traveling after striking a surface.

Magnification Formula

Magnification = Si/So = -di/do.

Focal Length Formula

1/F = 1/do + 1/di.