Reflection of Light in Mirrors

Have you noticed the word AMBULANCE in an ambulance car? How is it written? Did
you ever wonder why it is written that way? You will find the answers to these
questions as you go through this module. Try the following activity to study one of the
properties of light.
Activity 1

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Objectives:
Determine the height, width, and the distance from the mirror of the image formed
by plane mirrors.
Compare the actual height, width and the distance from the mirror of the object with
that of the image formed by plane mirror.
Materials:
1 (10 cm x 15 cm) plane mirror
1 graphing paper
10 onepeso coins
modeling clay
pen
Procedure:
1. Let the mirror stand vertically along a line on a graphing paper as shown in
Figure 1.
Use the modeling clay to support the plane mirror.

2. Using a pen, make three (3) different marks along the intersections on the graphing
paper in front of a mirror.

3. Measure the distance of each mark from the mirror by counting the number of
parallel lines between the mark and the base of the plane mirror. Record your data in a
table similar to Table 1 below.
4. Look at the images of the marks formed by the mirror. Measure the distance of each
image from the mirror by counting the number of parallel lines between the image and
the base of the mirror. Record this also in Table 1.

Q1. Refer to Table 1, compare the distance (number of parallel lines) from the mirror of
the object with that of the image.
5. Stack 10 pieces of one-peso coin in front of the plane mirror as in Figure 2. Using a
ruler, measure the height and width of the stack of coins. Measure also the height and
width of the image as seen on the mirror. Enter your measurements in a table similar
to
Table
2.

Q2. How do the height and width of the object compare with the height and width of
the image?
Reflection is the bouncing off of light rays when it hits a surface like a
plane mirror. In the activity, you used plane mirrors and located the object
distance, p and the image distance, q and found out that p is equal to q. In
plane mirrors, the image appears as if it is behind the mirror but actually not,
so the image is virtual. The value therefore of image distance, q is negative.
The height of the image, h in plane mirrors is always the same as the height
of the object, thus its magnification, M is 1. The magnification formula is written
below:
To learn more about reflection of light in plane mirrors, try the next activity.
However, here are some important terms which you need to understand first.
Incident Ray. The ray of light approaching the mirror represented by an
arrow approaching an optical element like mirrors.
Reflected Ray. The ray of light which
leaves the mirror and is represented by an
arrow pointing away from the mirror.
Normal Line. An imaginary line

(labeled N in Figure 3) that can be drawn

perpendicular to the surface of the mirror
at the point of incidence where the ray
strikes the mirror.
The angle between the incident ray and the normal line is known as the
angle of incidence, i. The angle between the reflected ray and the normal is
known as the angle of reflection, r.
Figure 3. Reflection of a
Light Ray on a Plane Mirror
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