# spherical mirror equation

If we assume that a mirror is small compared with its radius of curvature, we can also use algebra and geometry to derive a mirror equation, which we do in the next section. Drawing more than two principal rays is sometimes useful to verify that the ray tracing is correct. By the end of this section, you will be able to: The image in a plane mirror has the same size as the object, is upright, and is the same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front of the mirror. If you find the focal length of the convex mirror formed by the cornea, then you know its radius of curvature (it’s twice the focal length). Assume that all solar radiation incident on the reflector is absorbed by the pipe, and that the fluid is mineral oil. Although a spherical mirror is shown in Figure $$\PageIndex{8b}$$, comatic aberration occurs also for parabolic mirrors—it does not result from a breakdown in the small-angle approximation (Equation \ref{smallangle}). The mirror in this case is a quarter-section of a cylinder, so the area for a length $$L$$ of the mirror is $$A=\frac{1}{4}(2πR)L$$. It is inverted with respect to the object, is a real image, and is smaller than the object. Let’s use the sign convention to further interpret the derivation of the mirror equation. Example $$\PageIndex{1}$$: Solar Electric Generating System. Ray tracing is very useful for mirrors. This equation predicts the formation and position of both real and virtual images in thin spherical lenses. Inserting this into Equation \ref{eq57} gives the mirror equation: $\underbrace{ \dfrac{1}{d_o}+\dfrac{1}{d_i}=\dfrac{1}{f}}_{\text{mirror equation}}. a. The radius r for a concave mirror is a negative quantity (going left from the surface), and this gives a positive focal length, implying convergence. We thus define the dimensionless magnification $$m$$ as follows: \[\underbrace{m=\dfrac{h_i}{h_o}}_{\text{linear magnification}}. Principal ray 3 travels toward the center of curvature of the mirror, so it strikes the mirror at normal incidence and is reflected back along the line from which it came. Consider a broad beam of parallel rays impinging on a spherical mirror, as shown in Figure $$\PageIndex{8}$$. Also, it can be determined the curvature ratio of the lens. Part (b) involves a little math, primarily geometry. The four principal rays intersect at point $$Q′$$, which is where the image of point $$Q$$ is located. Both the object and the image formed by the mirror in Figure $$\PageIndex{6}$$ are real, so the object and image distances are both positive. What is the amount of sunlight concentrated onto the pipe, per meter of pipe length, assuming the insolation (incident solar radiation) is 900 W/m. The radius of curvature found here is reasonable for a cornea. \label{eq57}$. The highest point of the object is above the optical axis, so the object height is positive. First find the image distance $$d_i$$ and then solve for the focal length $$f$$. The LibreTexts libraries are Powered by MindTouch® and are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. In this approximation, all rays are paraxial rays, which means that they make a small angle with the optical axis and are at a distance much less than the radius of curvature from the optical axis. Thus, triangle $$CXF$$ is an isosceles triangle with $$CF=FX$$. For the convex mirror, the backward extension of the reflection of principal ray 1 goes through the focal point (i.e., a virtual focus). [ "article:topic", "paraxial approximation", "authorname:openstax", "aberration", "concave mirror", "convex mirror", "curved mirror", "focal length", "focal point", "linear magnification", "optical axis", "small-angle approximation", "Spherical aberration", "vertex", "license:ccby", "showtoc:no", "coma (optics)", "program:openstax" ], Image Formation by Reflection—The Mirror Equation, Departure from the Small-Angle Approximation, Creative Commons Attribution License (by 4.0). This mirror is a good approximation of a parabolic mirror, so rays that arrive parallel to the optical axis are reflected to a well-defined focal point. Here we briefly discuss two specific types of aberrations: spherical aberration and coma. Watch the recordings here on Youtube! The light that is travelling and incident on the surface is known as the Incident Ray and the perp… The rules for ray tracing are summarized here for reference: We use ray tracing to illustrate how images are formed by mirrors and to obtain numerical information about optical properties of the mirror. The smaller the magnification, the smaller the radius of curvature of the cornea. For the convex mirror, the extended image forms between the focal point and the mirror. To find the location of an image formed by a spherical mirror, we first use ray tracing, which is the technique of drawing rays and using the law of reflection to determine the reflected rays (later, for lenses, we use the law of refraction to determine refracted rays). In general, any curved surface will form an image, although some images make be so distorted as to be unrecognizable (think of fun house mirrors). A keratometer is a device used to measure the curvature of the cornea of the eye, particularly for fitting contact lenses. What is Mirror Equation? To keep track of the signs of the various quantities in the mirror equation, we now introduce a sign convention. Finally, principal ray 4 strikes the vertex of the mirror and is reflected symmetrically about the optical axis. The focal length of a spherical mirror is one-half of its radius of curvature: $$f = \frac{R}{2}$$. Legal. A ray traveling along a line that goes through the center of curvature of a spherical mirror is reflected back along the same line (ray 3 in Figure $$\PageIndex{5}$$). For example, we show, as a later exercise, that an object placed between a concave mirror and its focal point leads to a virtual image that is upright and larger than the object. Spherical mirror Formula . The point at which the reflected ray crosses the optical axis is the focal point. The geometry that leads to the mirror equation is dependent upon the small angle approximation, so if the angles are large, aberrations appear from the failure of these approximations. This work is licensed by OpenStax University Physics under a Creative Commons Attribution License (by 4.0). We want to find how the focal length $$FP$$ (denoted by $$f$$) relates to the radius of curvature of the mirror, $$R$$, whose length is, The law of reflection tells us that angles $$\angle OXC$$ and $$\angle CXF$$ are the same, and because the incident ray is parallel to the optical axis, angles $$\angle OXC$$ and $$\angle XCP$$ are also the same. \label{mag}\]. The result is, \begin{align*} \dfrac{1}{d_o}+\dfrac{1}{d_i} &= \dfrac{1}{f} \\[4pt] f &= \left(\dfrac{1}{d_o}+\dfrac{1}{d_i}\right)^{−1} \\[4pt] &= \left(\dfrac{1}{12cm}+\dfrac{1}{-0.384cm}\right)^{−1} \\[4pt] &=-40.0 \,cm \end{align*}, The radius of curvature is twice the focal length, so. An array of such pipes in the California desert can provide a thermal output of 250 MW on a sunny day, with fluids reaching temperatures as high as 400°C. If ray tracing is required, use the ray-tracing rules listed near the beginning of this section. If the light source is 12 cm from the cornea and the image magnification is 0.032, what is the radius of curvature of the cornea? When a light travels from a point and strikes a reflecting surface making an angle with the normal which is perpendicular to the surface, then the light gets reflected at the same angle that it formed with the normal.