EXPERIMENT NO.
111 SPHERICAL MIRRORS
INTRODUCTION
Mirrors reflect light regularly and can form images. There are three kinds of mirrors: plane,
concave, and convex mirrors. A concave mirror is also called a converging mirror because it reflects
light rays such that they converge in front of the mirror (Figure 1a). A concave mirror can form real
and virtual images depending on the object distance. A convex mirror is also called a diverging
mirror because it reflected rays are diverging (Figure 1b). A convex mirror can only form virtual
images that are erect, smaller than the object, and located behind the mirror.
In this experiment, you are going to use a concave mirror to locate real images. You will also
compute the focal length of the mirror using the mirror equation.
Figure 1a. Concave Mirror 1b. Convex Mirror
OBJECTIVE:
1. To compute the focal length of a concave mirror using the mirror equation.
MATERIALS
1 pc concave mirror
1 pc image screen Lo
1 pc candle
at To
1 pc optics bench
1 pc meterstick L
at T
L
The change in length ΔL is the difference Figure
of the1 final length from its i
ΔL=L−L o (eqn. 1)
THEORY
The center of the surface of a spherical mirror is called the vertex. The distance from
the vertex to the center of the sphere from where the mirror is cut is the radius R of the
mirror. Halfway between the vertex and the center of the mirror is the focal point F or focus.
The distance from the focal point to the vertex is called the focal length of the mirror. The
focal length is half of the radius. The focal length is related to the magnifying capacity of the
mirror.
The mirror equation relates the object distance s, the image distance s’, and the focal
length f.
1 1 1
= +
f s s' (eqn. 1)
The magnification M is the comparison of the image size and the object size.
hi
M=
ho (eqn. 2.)
The magnification M is also the ratio of the image distance and object distance.
s'
M =−
s (eqn. 3.)
The negative sign is for the orientation of the image. If the magnification is positive,
the image is erect. The image is inverted if the magnification is negative.
object
s
ho
hi
s’
image
Figure 2.
PROCEDURE:
Part A. Object distance greater than the image distance.
1. Set up the apparatus in a way that a projection screen is place between the light source
and a movable concave mirror like in Figure 3. Adjust the concave mirror’s position
until a clear image of the candle is formed on the screen.
2. Measure the distance from the candle to the mirror (object distance) and the distance
from the screen to the mirror (image distance). Compute the focal length of the
concave mirror using equation 1. Repeat the procedure for two more trials in each case
increasing the object distance.
Figure 3
Part B. Image distance greater than the object distance.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 but this time, the candle is between the screen and the concave
mirror as in figure 4. Compute the focal length of the concave mirror using equation 1.
Do this for three trials.
s’
Figure 4
Part C. Object distance equal to image distance.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 but this time, the candle is side by side with the screen as in
figure 5. Adjust the distance of the concave mirror until a sharp image is formed on
the screen. Compute the focal length of the concave mirror using equation 1.
Figure 5
EXPERIMENT NO. 111 : SPHERICAL MIRRORS
Name Group No.
Course/Year Seat No.
Subject/Section Date
TABLE 1. Object Distance Greater than Image Distance
TRIAL Object Distance Image Distance Focal Length
1 cm cm cm
2 cm cm cm
3 cm cm cm
average focal length
Focal length from Table 3
Percentage Difference
TABLE 2. Image Distance Greater than Object Distance
TRIAL Object Distance Image Distance Focal Length
1 cm cm cm
2 cm cm cm
3 cm cm cm
average focal length
Focal length from Table 3
Percentage Difference
TABLE 3. Image Distance Equal to Object Distance
TRIAL Object Distance Image Distance Focal Length
1 cm cm cm
Approved by:
Instructor Date
