Chapter 25 - The Reflection of Light: Mirrors Flashcards
What are wave fronts?
Wave fronts are surfaces on which all points of a wave are in the same phase of motion.
What are plane waves?
Waves whose wave fronts are flat surfaces are known as plane waves.
What are rays?
Rays are lines that are perpendicular to the wave fronts and point in the direction of the velocity of the wave.q
What is a virtual image?
A virtual image is one from which all the rays of light do not actually come, but only appear to do so.
What is a real image?
A real image is one from which all the rays of light actually do emanate.
Explain the image produced by a plane mirror.
A plane mirror forms an upright, virtual image that is located as far behind the mirror as the object is in front of it. In addition, the heights of the image and the object are equal.
Differentiate between concave and convex mirrors
Concave - inward curve
Convex - outward curve
What is the principal axis?
The principal axis of a mirror is a straight line drawn through the center of curvature and the middle of the mirror’s surface.
What are paraxial waves?
Rays that are close to the principal axis are known as paraxial rays
What is the radius of curvature?
he radius of curvature R of a mirror is the distance from the center of curvature to the mirro
Explain the difference in focal points between concave and convex mirrors.
The focal point of a concave spherical mirror is a point on the principal axis, in front of the mirror.
The focal point of a convex spherical mirror is a point on the principal axis, behind the mirror.
