If you hold a pocket mirror almost at arm's length from your face,and note how much of your face you can see; to see more of your face, should you hold the mirror closer or farther away , or would you have to get a larger mirror? I tried this, but I could see my face in each situation. I really don't understand the question.
The question is how big a mirror do you need to see all of your face, and does it help to move the mirror nearr or farther away. The answer is the mirror must be half as large as your face, in both length and width dimensions, regardless of where the mirror is held.
To figure out why, remember that the mirror is midway between your head and an equal-height virtual image of your face behind the mirror. The mirror must be large enough so that rays drawn from your eye to the entire virtual image of your head strike reflecting surface.
If you can see your face in both situations, holding the mirror closer or farther away, it means that the mirror you are using is large enough to reflect your entire face at that distance. In this case, you would not need to get a larger mirror.
The purpose of the question might be to understand how the size of the mirror or the distance affects the field of view. Generally, holding the mirror closer to your face will allow you to see a larger portion of your face, while holding it farther away will result in a smaller portion of your face being visible. However, if you can already see your entire face with the current mirror and distance, changing the distance or getting a larger mirror would not significantly impact your field of view.
The question is asking about the relationship between the distance of the mirror from your face and the amount of your face you can see in the mirror. Let's break it down and explain step by step.
1. Holding the mirror almost at arm's length from your face: In this situation, you are holding the mirror at a certain distance away from your face. This distance is typically referred to as the "initial distance."
2. Noting how much of your face you can see: When you look at the mirror, you can observe a portion of your face reflected in it. The question is asking you to take note of the amount or extent of your face that you can see at this initial distance.
3. To see more of your face: The next part of the question asks what you would need to do in order to see more of your face in the mirror. There are two possible options mentioned:
- Holding the mirror closer: This refers to bringing the mirror closer to your face, reducing the distance between the mirror and your face.
- Holding the mirror farther away: This means increasing the distance between the mirror and your face, moving it away from you.
4. Result of trying different situations: In your case, you mentioned that you tried holding the mirror closer, holding it farther away, and even using a larger mirror, but you were still able to see your face in all situations.
Based on your explanation, it seems that you should be able to see your face regardless of the change in distance or mirror size. This might be due to the properties of the mirror you are using, such as its reflectivity or curvature. In a typical situation, however, if you hold the mirror closer to your face, your field of view might increase, allowing you to see more of your face. Holding the mirror farther away or using a larger mirror can sometimes have the same effect.
Remember, when experimenting and testing different scenarios, the results may vary based on the specific mirror and other factors.