Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY

Student Exploration: Ray Tracing (Mirrors)

Vocabulary: Introduction: Have you ever looked at yourself in a funhouse mirror? With only a little bit of curvature, the mirror can make you look tall or short, wide or skinny. Sometimes the same mirror can make part of you look stretched while another part of you looks squashed. Why does a curved mirror have such a powerful (and strange!) effect on how your reflection looks? You can figure it out by examining a ray diagram showing individual light rays and how they reflect. Concave (converging) Mirror, Convex (Diverging Mirror), Centre of Curvature, Principal Axis, Focus, Real Image, Virtual Image, Converge and Diverge

Activity A: Concave Mirrors

Get the Gizmo Ready: Uncheck all three (3) lines: Parallel Line, Central Line and Line through Focal Point Uncheck ALL checkboxes under Show specific line segments Select a concave mirror from the drop down list.

The Gizmo shows: a) ACTUAL light bulb in front of the mirror (to the left of the mirror in this view) b) the mirror in the middle c) the IMAGE of the light bulb formed by the mirror Drag the light bulb to just above -4 on the principal axis and place the focal point (blue dot) on -25.

1.

Where does the image appear?

2.

In this situation is the image larger of small than the actual bulb?

1.

Slowly drag the focal point closer to the mirror. How does this affect the CURVATURE of the mirror?

2.

How does this affect the IMAGE?

Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY

Place the focal point at -10. Drag the light bulb slowly to the left, away from the mirror. (Keep the bulb near the principal axis to prevent the image from getting too blurry.) Watch the image as you drag the bulb. When is the image behind the mirror?

1.

2.

When is the image in front of the mirror, where the ACTUAL bulb is?

3.

When is the image upside-down?

4.

When is the image the largest?

To understand the behavior of the image you just saw, it helps to explore how individual rays of light are reflected. Place the bulb just above -25 and the focal point at -10. Select Colorize lines, and turn on the Parallel line and the Original light lines only.

1.

How do you think this ray of light, parallel to the principal axis, will be reflected off the concave mirror? EXPLAIN

1.

Turn on Reflected Light Lines. How is the parallel ray reflected?

Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY

2.

What two (2) things do all parallel rays of light pass through? (Hint: Move the bulb around a bit to verify your answer.

3.

Based upon what you just saw, would you say that parallel light converges or diverges when reflected off a concave mirror? WHY?

Turn OFF the Parallel Line and turn ON the Line Through Focal Point only, with BOTH Original and Reflected light rays visible. Move the light bulb around a bit.

1.

How does this ray of light reflect off a concave mirror?

Turn OFF the Line through Focal Point and turn ON the Central Line only and turn on the Central line only, still with both Original and Reflected rays visible. Move the bulb around. Notice that the central line strikes the mirror directly at the principal axis.

1.

How does it reflect? Compare this light reflecting off a PLANE mirror.

1.

Turn on all three (3) lines, both original and reflected, and drag the bulb around. Where does ALL reflected light meet?

Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY

When an object is beyond the focal point of a concave mirror, a real image is formed that is upside down and in front of the mirror. The image is called "real" because it is formed by actual reflected light and would be visible on a Screen or piece of paper. Drag the bulb around between roughly -15 and -30.

1.

When is the image LARGER than the actual bulb?

2.

When is the image SMALLER?

3.

When do the IMAGE and the bulb seem to be the SAME SIZE? How does this relate to the location of the Focal Point?

A concave mirror can also produce an image behind the mirror. To see how this occurs, place the light bulb near the mirror, just above -4 (near the axis). Be sure the focal point is still at -10. Set the Gizmo so that only the Original and Reflected light lines of the Parallel line are shown. Turn on Apparent Light Line. This dotted line shows the path of light your brain perceives. * It is NOT an actual light ray What lies on the apparent light line?

1.

1.

Turn on the other two (2) rays of original emitted light. Move the light bulb around. Where do the three (3) apparent light lines meet?

1.

This type of image is called a VIRTUAL IMAGE. Where would you need to stand to be able to see it? (Hint: How do you normally see an image in a mirror?)

Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY

Activity B: Convex Mirrors

1.

Get the Gizmo Ready: Turn off ALL light ray and select a CONVEX Mirror

How is the SHAPE of a convex mirror different from that of a concave mirror?

2.

Where is the FOCAL POINT of a convex mirror located?

3.

Drag the bulb around. Where is the image ALWAYS located?

4.

How does the size of the image compare to the size of the bulb? Is this always true?

1.

Turn on the Parallel line, and the Original and Reflected rays. Drag the bulb around. Do parallel rays of light converge or diverge when reflected off a convex mirror?

2.

Is there a point at which all the reflected light meets?

1.

Turn ON all three (3) rays of light. Then turn on Apparent Light Lines and drag the bulb around. Where do the apparent light lines meet?

2.

Is this image REAL or VIRTUAL? WHY?

Name: _______________________________ SNC 2D1 Grade 10 Academic Science Images in Curved Mirrors

Date: ______________________________ GIZMOS ACTIVITY