Mirrors create images using the principle of reflection, where light bounces off a smooth surface. When light rays hit a mirror, they reflect back at the same angle at which they arrived, following the law of reflection:
Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection.
Here’s how mirrors form images:
- Light from an object (like your face) travels in all directions.
- Some of these rays strike the mirror.
- The mirror reflects those rays back according to the law of reflection.
- Your eyes trace the reflected rays backward and perceive them as coming from behind the mirror.
- This creates a virtual image that appears to be located behind the mirror.
Types of Images:
- In a plane mirror (flat surface), the image is:
- Virtual (can’t be projected on a screen),
- Upright (same orientation),
- Same size as the object,
- Laterally inverted (left and right reversed).
- In curved mirrors (concave or convex), the image can be:
- Real or virtual,
- Magnified or reduced,
- Inverted or upright, depending on the object’s distance from the mirror.
In essence, mirrors redirect light in such a way that our brain interprets the reflected rays as forming an image.