Question

How many images are formed if two mirrors are placed?

Answer 1

Hint: A plane mirror has a reflecting surface that is smooth (planar). The angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence for light rays striking a plane mirror. The angle of incidence is the angle formed by the incident ray and the normal of the surface (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface).

Complete step by step answer:
Plane mirrors are the only kind of mirror in which a real object often creates a virtual, upright, and identically sized image. Virtual objects, on the other hand, contain actual images. A plane mirror's focal length is infinite, and its optical power is zero. When two mirrors are angled toward each other, several representations of the object are made.

Light rays refract from one mirror and refract off the other, which refracts them again. As a result, we should say that one mirror's reflection serves as an object for the other.Let's assume the angle between the two mirrors is $\theta $. When an object is positioned asymmetrically, the number of representations generated is $n$ if ${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{\theta }$ is odd.
When the object is set symmetrically between the two mirrors and ${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{\theta }$ is odd, the number of images produced is n - 1.

If ${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{\theta }$ is an even number, the number of images produced is always $n – 1$, regardless of how the object is positioned between the two mirrors.
(a) Parallel
$\theta = {0^o}$
${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{0} = \infty $
(b) Perpendicular
$\theta = {90^o}$
${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{{90}} = 4(even)$
If ${\text{n}} = \dfrac{{360}}{\theta }$ is an even number, the number of images produced is always n – 1, regardless of how the object is positioned between the two mirrors.

Hence n – 1 = 3 is the correct answer.

Note: Similar to a plane mirror, concave and convex mirrors (spherical mirrors) will also produce simulated images. However, unlike a plane mirror, the images they produce are not the same size as the object. When an object is positioned between the focus and the pole in a convex mirror, the virtual image produced is often reduced, while when an object is placed between the focus and the pole in a concave mirror, an expanded virtual image is formed. As a result, plane mirrors are favoured over spherical mirrors in applications requiring a composite image of the same dimension.