Physics · Ch 6 — Optics
Image Formation in Plane Mirror
Image Formation in Plane Mirror
For a point object placed in front of a plane mirror, a ray strikes the mirror at and reflects along , while a second ray strikes the mirror normally at and reflects straight back along . Extending and backward, they meet behind the mirror at the virtual image point , from which the reflected rays appear to originate (no light physically passes through ). Using the geometry of this construction -- specifically that (alternate angles) and (corresponding angles) -- the triangles and can be shown to be congruent, which forces . This proves algebraically what is visually intuitive: a plane mirror's …
What this figure shows. A point object A sends a ray AO to the mirror, reflected along OB, and a second ray AD striking the mirror normally at D, reflected straight back along DA. Extended backward, OB and DA meet behind the mirror at the virtual image point A'. Marking the alternate and corresponding angles created by this construction (angle AON = angle DAO, and angle BON = angle OA'D) shows triangles ODA and ODA' are congruent, so AD = A'D -- proving algebraically what is visually obvious, that the image sits exactly as far behind the mirror's surface as the real object A sits in front of it, with the …