Question

A concave mirror has a focal length of 42 cm. The image (size of 30 cm) formed by this mirror is 97 cm in front of the mirror. (A)Draw a ray diagram for this situation. (B)What is the object distance?

Answer 1

To draw a ray diagram for a concave mirror with a focal length of 42 cm and an image distance of 97 cm, follow these steps: 1) Draw the principal axis. 2) Place the object in front of the mirror. 3) Draw rays from the top of the object parallel to the axis and through the focal point. 4) The intersection of the two reflected rays is the location of the image. The object distance can be found using the mirror equation.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. Draw a horizontal line for the principal axis of the mirror.
2. Place the object 97 cm in front of the mirror on the principal axis.
3. Draw a ray from the top of the object parallel to the principal axis. This ray will reflect through the focal point of the mirror.
4. Draw a ray from the top of the object through the focal point of the mirror. This ray will reflect parallel to the principal axis.
5. Where the two reflected rays intersect is the location of the image.

The object distance can be calculated using the mirror equation (1/do + 1/di = 1/f). Substitute the values for 'f' (42 cm) and 'di' (97 cm) into the equation and solve for 'do'.

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