A 5 cm tall object is placed 68 cm from a convex mirror with a focal distance of -4 cm. The object is moved to 1cm from the same mirror. How would you calculate the distance to the image from the lens, the magnification, and the height of the image?

1 Answer
May 19, 2017

d_i=-4/5cm

m=4/5cm

h_i=4cm

Explanation:

We can begin by using the mirror equation to calculate the distance from the image to the mirror.

1/(f)=1/d_i+1/d_o

where f is the focal length of the mirror, d_i is the distance from the image from the mirror, and d_o is the distance from the object to the mirror.

We are given that f=-4cm and d_o=1cm, and we can use these values to solve for d_i:

=>d_i=(1/f-1/d_o)^-1

=(-1/4-1)^-1

=-4/5cm

Therefore, the image is formed behind the mirror and is said to be a virtual image.

We can now use the values for d_i and d_o to calculate the magnification of the mirror:

m=-d_i/d_o

=-((-4/5))/1

=4/5

Therefore, the image formed is reduced compared to the object size and upright.

Finally, we can use the values for m and h_i to find the height of the object:

m=h_i/h_o

=>h_i=m*h_o

=4/5*5

=4cm

:. d_i=-4/5cm, m=4/5cm, h_i=4cm