Question

Jessie draws a ray diagram to show how an image of a candle is produced by a concave mirror when the candle is placed in front of the center of curvature. Jessie thinks the image should be virtual and behind the mirror.

Which best describes Jessie’s error?

The object should be placed anywhere on the principal axis.
The object should be at the center of the curvature.
The object should be between the center and vertex.
The object should be between the focal point and vertex.

Answer 1

Option 4.

A concave mirror produces a virtual image behind the mirror only when the object is between the focal point and the vertex (i.e., inside the focal length). If the object is at the center of curvature, the image is real, inverted, the same size, and located at the center of curvature.