OpticsLesson 1 of 6 in the course Geometric Optics and Image Formation

Spherical Mirrors: Ray Diagrams, Image Equations, and Aberrations

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

This lesson introduces spherical mirrors and explains how their shape determines whether they converge or diverge light. It also connects a mirror’s focal length to its radius of curvature.

A spherical mirror has a reflecting surface that is part of a sphere. If the reflecting surface is on the inside of the sphere, the mirror is concave. A concave mirror can bring parallel rays together and is therefore converging. If the reflecting surface is on the outside of the sphere, the mirror is convex. A convex mirror spreads reflected rays apart and is diverging.

All flashcards

What is spherical aberration?
An aberration in which different zones of a spherical mirror focus rays at different locations.
What is coma in mirror optics?
An aberration in which an off-axis point source forms a spread, comet-like image.
How is linear magnification related to image and object distances?
m=−di/dom=-d_i/d_o; the sign indicates orientation, and the magnitude indicates relative image size.
What distinguishes a real image from a virtual image?
A real image forms where reflected rays intersect; a virtual image is located where their backward extensions intersect.
What are the four principal rays for spherical-mirror ray tracing?
The parallel ray, focal ray, center-of-curvature ray, and vertex ray.

Quiz questions

  1. When reflected rays from an object point diverge, how is the virtual image point located?Answer: At the intersection of the rays' backward extensions.
  2. A ray directed along a line through a spherical mirror's center of curvature reflects how?Answer: It retraces its path after striking the mirror normally.
  3. How does a ray striking the vertex of a spherical mirror reflect?Answer: It reflects symmetrically about the optical axis.
  4. What causes spherical aberration in a spherical mirror?Answer: Rays striking different zones of the mirror focus at different locations.
  5. What is the defining cause of coma in mirror optics?Answer: Off-axis incoming ray bundles produce spread-out images of point sources.

Based on University Physics Volume 3 by Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny, William Moebs (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Optics

All Optics lessons
OpticsCamera Imaging: CCD Sensors and Thin-Lens Focusing5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →OpticsSimple Magnifiers: Angular Magnification and Viewing Arrangements5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →OpticsSingle-Slit Diffraction: Phasor Intensity and Pattern Width5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →OpticsCompound Microscopes and Refracting and Reflecting Telescopes5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →OpticsHuygens Wavefronts: Reflection, Refraction, and Diffraction5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →OpticsDiffraction Gratings: Principal Maxima, Wavelength Dispersion, and Uses5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →