Sign Convention

For Concave Mirror

 The object is always kept in front of the concave mirror and its distance from the
mirror is taken as negative.
 The centre of curvature and focus lie in front of the concave mirror, therefore radius of
curvature and focal length are also taken as negative.
 Image height is taken as positive in the case of erect image and taken as negative in the
case of an inverted image.
 The real image is formed in front of the mirror; therefore, the image distance is taken
as negative and for virtual image, it is taken as positive which is formed behind the
mirror.

For Convex Mirror

 The object is always kept in front of the convex mirror and its distance from the
mirror is taken as negative.
 The centre of curvature and focus lie in behind of the convex mirror, therefore radius
of curvature and focal length are also taken as positive.
 In a convex mirror, an image formed is always erect, thus the image height is taken as
positive.
 In a convex mirror, the image formed is always behind the mirror, therefore the image
distance is taken as positive.

1. An object is placed 10 cm from a concave mirror. The focal length is 5 cm.

Determine (a) The image distance (b) the magnification of image

Known :

The focal length (f) = 5 cm

The object distance (do) = 10 cm

Solution :

Formation of image by concave mirror :

The image distance :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/5 – 1/10 = 2/10 – 1/10 = 1/10

di = 10/1 = 10 cm

The image distance is 10 cm.

The magnification :

m = –di / do = -10/10 = -1

1 means that the image is the same as the object.

The minus sign indicates that the image is inverted. If the sign is positive than the
image is upright.

2. A 5-cm-high object is placed in front of a concave mirror with a radius of

curvature of 20 cm. Determine the image height if the object distance is 5 cm, 15
cm, 20 cm, 30 cm.

Known :

The radius of curvature (r) = 20 cm

The focal length (f) = R/2 = 20/2 = 10 cm

The object height (ho) = 5 cm

Solution :

a) the focal length (f) = 10 cm and the object distance (do) = 5 cm

Formation of image by concave mirror :

The image distance (di) :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/10 – 1/5 = 1/10 – 2/10 = -1/10

di = -10/1 = -10 cm

The minus sign indicates that the image is virtual or the image is behind the mirror.

The magnification of image (m) :

m = –di / do = -(-10)/5 = 10/5 = 2

The plus sign indicates that the image is upright.

The image height (hi) :

m = hi / h o

hi = ho m = (5 cm)(2) = 10 cm

The image height is 10 cm.

b) The focal length (f) = 10 cm and the object distance (do) = 15 cm

Formation of image by concave mirror :

The image distance (di) :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/10 – 1/15 = 3/30 – 2/30 = 1/30

di = 30/1 = 30 cm

The plus sign indicates that the image is real or the image is 30 cm in front of the
mirror, on the same side as the object.

The magnification of image (m) :

m = –di / do = -30/15 = -2

The minus sign indicates that the image is inverted.

The image is 2 times larger than the object.

The image height (hi) :

m = hi / h o

hi = ho m = (5 cm)(2) = 10 cm

The image height is 10 cm.

c) The focal length (f) = 10 cm and the object distance (do) = 20 cm

Formation of image by concave mirror :

The image distance (di) :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/10 – 1/20 = 2/20 – 1/20 = 1/20

di = 20/1 = 20 cm

The positive sign indicates that the image is real or the image is 20 cm in front of
the mirror, on the same side as the object.

The magnification of image (m) :

m = –di / do = -20/20 = -1

The negative sign means the image is inverted.

The image height (hi) :

m = hi / ho

hi = h m = (5 cm)(1) = 5 cm

d) The focal length (f) = 10 cm and the object distance (do) = 30 cm

The image distance (di) :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/10 – 1/30 = 3/30 – 1/30 = 2/30

di = 30/2 = 15 cm

The plus sign indicates that the image is real or the image is 15 cm in front of the
mirror, on the same side as the object.

The magnification of image (m) :

m = –di / do = -15/30 = -0.5

The minus sign indicates that the image is inverted.

The image is 0.5 smaller than the object.

The image height (hi) :

m = hi / ho

hi = ho m = (5 cm)(0.5) = 2.5 cm

Read : Density – problems and solutions

3. An image an by a concave mirror is 4 times greater than the object. If the radius
of curvature 20 cm, determine the object distance in front of the mirror!

Known :

The magnification of image (m) = 4

The radius of curvature (r) = 20 cm

The focal length (f) = r/2 = 20/2 = 10 cm

Wanted : The object distance (do)

Solution :

m = – di / do

4 = – di / do

– di = 4 do
di = – 4 do

1/f = 1/do + 1/di

1/10 = 1/do + 1/4do

4/40 = 4/4do + 1/4do

4/40 = 5/4do

(4)(4s) = (5)(40)

16 do = 200

do = 12.5 cm

The object distance = 12.5 cm.

Read : Quantities and units of physics – problems and solutions

4. A 1-cm high object is placed 10 cm from a concave mirror with the focal length,
f = 15 cm. Determine :

A. The image distance ?

B. The image height?

C. The properties of image formed by the concave mirror?

Known :

The object height (h) = 1 cm

The object distance (do) = 10 cm

The focal length of the concave mirror (f) = 15 cm

Solution :

A. The image distance (di)

1/f = 1/do + 1/di

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/15 – 1/10 = 2/30 – 3/30 = -1/30

di = -30/1 = -30 cm

The negative sign indicates that the image is virtual or the image is behind the mirror.

B. The image height (hi)

The magnification of the image (M) :

M = -di/do = hi/ho

M = -(-30)/10 = 30/10 = 3 times

The image height (hi) :

M = hi / ho

3 = hi / 1 cm

hi = 3 (1 cm)

hi = 3 cm

the image height is 3 cm. The plus sign indicates that the image upward.

C. The properties of the image :

Virtual, upward, larger than object

Read : Work and kinetic energy – problems and solutions

5. The magnification of the image, according to the image below.

Known :

The object distance (do) = 60 cm

The focal length (f) = 20 cm

Wanted : The image magnification (M)

Solution :

The image distance :

1/f = 1/do + 1/di

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/20 cm – 1/60 cm = 3/60 cm – 1/60 cm = 2/60 cm

di = 60/2 cm = 30 cm

The magnification of the image (M) :

M = di/do = 30 cm / 60 cm = 1/2 times

6. If the object is placed 6 cm from a concave mirror, the image distance is 12 cm as

shown in figure below. Whhat is the image distance if the object is moved from the
original position 1 cm away from the mirror.

Known :

The object distance (do) = 6 cm

The image distance (di) = 12 cm

Wanted : if the object distance (do) = 7 cm then the image distance is …

Solution :

1/f = 1/do + 1/di = 1/6 + 1/12 = 2/12 + 1/12 = 3/12

f = 12/3 = 4 cm

The focal length is positive, means that the focal point is real or the rays pass through
the point.

The image distance :

1/di = 1/f – 1/do = 1/4 – 1/7 = 7/28 – 4/28 = 3/28

di = 28/3 = 9.3 cm

7. A dentist observes and checks the patient’s teeth using a mirror with an 8 cm
radius. In order for the hole to be seen clearly by the doctor, what is the distance
between the patient’s teeth and the mirror?

A. less than 4 cm in front of a concave mirror

B. less than 4 cm in front of a convex mirror

C. more than 4 cm in front of the concave mirror

D. more than 4 cm in front of the convex mirror

Known :

Radius of mirror (r) = 8 cm

The focal length of mirror (f) = r / 2 = 8 / 2 = 4 cm

Wanted : The distance between the patient’s teeth and the mirror

Solution :

The mirror used is a concave mirror or a convex mirror? In order for the tooth hole
to be clearly visible by the doctor, the mirror used should be able to enlarge the
image of the tooth and the image must be upright. Convex mirror always produces
inverted images and the size of the image is smaller than the size of the object.
Conversely a concave mirror can produce an upright image if the object distance (d)
is smaller than the focal length (f). If the object distance is greater than the focal
length (f) then the concave mirror produces an inverted image.

The focal length (f) of the concave mirror is 4 cm, therefore the patient’s teeth should
be less than 4 cm in front of a concave mirror.

The correct answer is A.

8. A concave mirror has a radius of curvature of 24 cm. If the object is placed 20 cm

in front of the mirror then determine the properties of the image.

A. Real, upright and enlarged

B. Real, inverted and enlarged

C. Virtual, upright and enlarged

D. Virtual, inverted and smaller

Known :

Radius of curvature (r) = 24 cm

Focal length (f) = R/2 = 24/2 = +12 cm

The focal length of the concave mirror is positive or real because the light passes
through the focal point of the mirror.

Object distance (d) = 20 cm

Wanted : Properties of image

Solution :

Image is virtual or real? Calculate the image distance (s’):

1/d + 1/d’ = 1/f

1/d’ = 1/f – 1/d

1/d’ = 1/12 – 1/20

1/d’ = 5/60 – 3/60

1/d’ = 2/60

d’ = 60/2

d’ = 30 cm

The image distance signed positive means that the image is real because it is passed
by light.

Image enlarged ? Upright or inverted? First calculate the image magnification (M):

M = -d’ / d = -30/20 = -1.5

M > 1 means the image is enlarged, M has a negative sign means an inverted image.
So the image properties are real, inverted, enlarged.

The correct answer is B.

9. A spherical mirror produces an image has size 5 times greater than the object on
a screen, 5 meters away from the object. The mirror is…..

A. concave with the focal length of 25/24 m

B. convex with the focal length of 25/24 m

C. concave with the focal length of 24/25 m

D. convex with the focal length of 24/25 m

Known :

Magnification of image (M) = 5 times

The distance between object and image = 5 meters

Solution :

The size of the image produced by a convex mirror is always smaller than the size
of the object, therefore, the mirror is a concave mirror.

Object distance (d) = x

Image distance (d’) = x + 5

Image magnification (M) = 5 times

The formula of image magnification :

The formula of the focal length (f) :

The correct answer is A.

1.
2. An object is placed in front of a concave mirror of focal length
30 cm. The virtual image of the object is obtained at a distance
20 cm from the mirror. Calculate the position of the object.
Solution :
Focal length f=-30cm
Image distance v=20cm
object distance u=?
According to mirror formula

the object is placed at a distance of 12cm from the mirror.

3.