Questions on Mirrors

1. What is the difference between a specular and a diffuse reflection?
2. Why is that you cannot see a laser beam in a dust free room?
3. What is the law of reflection?  How is it used in a ray diagram to image a point object in a plane mirror?
4. How tall must a plane mirror be for you to see you full height in the mirror image of yourself?  Draw a ray diagram showing a ray from the top of your head to your eyes and another from your feet to your eyes.  Does it matter how far you stand from the mirror?
5. What is a virtual image?  A virtual ray?
6. Are all images in plane mirrors virtual?
7. What is a virtual object?  Give an example of a mirror arrangement that has a virtual object.
8. Can the magnification produced by a mirror ever be greater than 1?  What kind of a mirror will produce such a situation?
9. Please answer the last question for a magnification less than 1.
10. Consider two mirrors placed to touch each other and at right angle. Imagine an object placed in front of these mirrors. Draw the ray diagram to locate all the images.

 

Last Modified Saturday, 20-Sep-2003 malekis@union.edu