PASCO OS-8500 INTRODUCTORY OPTICS SYSTEM - Manual (Page 17)

012-02744K Introductory Optics System
®
11
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
-Optics Bench -Light Source
-Ray Table and Base -Component Holder
-Slit Plate -Ray Optics Mirror
Experiment 3: Image Formation in a Plane Mirror
Paper
Figure 3.1 Equipment Setup
Introduction
Looking into a mirror and seeing a nearly exact image of yourself hardly seems like the result of simple physical
principles. But it is. The nature of the image you see in a mirror is understandable in terms of the principles you
have already learned: the Law of Reflection and the straight-line propagation of light.
In this experiment you will investigate how the apparent location of an image reflected from a plane mirror
relates to the location of the object, and how this relationship is a direct result of the basic principles you have
already studied.
Procedure
Set up the equipment as shown in Figure 3.1. Adjust the Slit Plate and Light Source positions for sharp, easily
visible rays.
As shown, place a blank, white sheet of paper on top of the Ray Table, and place the Ray Optics Mirror on top
of the paper. Position the mirror so that all of the light rays are reflected from its flat surface. Draw a line on
the paper to mark the position of the flat surface of the mirror.
Look into the mirror along the line of the reflected rays so that you can see the image of the Slit Plate and,
through the slits, the filament of the Light Source. (Rotate the mirror as needed to do this.)
➀ Do the rays seem to follow a straight line into the mirror? ________________________________.
With a pencil, mark two points along one edge of each of the incident and reflected rays. Label the points (r
1
,r
2
,
etc.), so you know which points belong to which ray.
Remove the paper and reconstruct the rays as shown on the next page (Figure 3.2), using a pencil and straight-
edge. If you need to, tape on additional pieces of paper. Draw dotted lines to extend the incident and reflected
rays. (If this ray tracing technique is unfamiliar to you, review ray tracing in Experiment 1: Introduction to Ray
Optics.)
On your drawing, label the position of the filament and the apparent position of its reflected image.