13. Why can convex mirrors only produce virtual images?
Sadly, I can't find this answer in my book. :(
Any help would be appreciated, please and thank you!
An virtual image is an image that is formed not by the intersection of two light beams, but it appears that these light beams intersect at some point. The optics of convex mirror doesn't allow the light beams to intersect at any position of object in relation to the mirror. Thus one can never get any real image using convex mirror
No worries! I'm here to help explain why convex mirrors can only produce virtual images.
To understand this, let's start by defining convex mirrors. Convex mirrors are curved mirrors that bulge outward, meaning they are curved outward on the side facing away from the reflecting surface.
Now, the key characteristic of convex mirrors is that their curvature causes the reflected light rays to diverge or spread out. This means that the reflected rays never actually converge at a specific point like they do with concave mirrors.
When light rays from an object strike a convex mirror, they are reflected in such a way that they diverge. The reflected rays appear to come from a point behind the mirror surface, which we call the "virtual focus." These rays do not actually meet at that point but rather appear to originate from there.
Due to the divergence of the reflected rays, our eyes perceive these rays as coming from a point behind the mirror. As a result, when we trace back these diverging rays, they seem to intersect at a specific point, forming an image. However, this image is not formed by the actual convergence of light rays, but by the apparent convergence of extended or backward extension of diverging rays.
Since the image formed by a convex mirror is not created by the actual convergence of light rays, it is referred to as a "virtual image." A virtual image cannot be projected onto a screen as it does not exist in physical space. Instead, it appears as if it is located behind the mirror, allowing us to view a wider field of view compared to concave mirrors.
So, in summary, convex mirrors can only produce virtual images because the divergence of the reflected light rays creates the perception that the rays are originating from a point behind the mirror, rather than actually converging at a point in front of the mirror.