INTRODUCTION

When the ray of light falls on a surface, it undergoes one of these phenomena - reflection, refraction, and absorption. The surface which reflects most of the rays of light is called a mirror. And on the basis of the reflecting surfaces, mirrors can be classified as concave, convex, and plain mirrors. Here we will talk about plane mirrors. 

MEANING OF A PLANE MIRROR

A plane mirror is a surface that needs at least two rays of light to make an image. These two rays can either meet inside the mirror or appear to meet at any point behind the mirror.

The image below demonstrates what an image of an object looks like through a plane mirror.

Source

DEFINITION OF A PLANE MIRROR

A plane mirror is a smooth or highly polished surface that reflects light in order to form an image. It is a flat, polished, and reflective surface that produces a virtual image of the real object.

Moreover, a light ray passing through the plane mirror must make the angle of reflection equal to the angle of incidence. The importance of a plane mirror is that it easily spots the location of the object behind you. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PLANE MIRROR

The characteristics of the plane mirror are: 

• Images formed are erect and of the same size as the object. 
• The distance between the image and the distance of the objects is equal to the plane mirror. 
• It forms laterally inverted images, meaning that images are not reversed from top to bottom, but are reversed from left to right.
• Image formation by a plane mirror is a virtual image. 
• The radius of curvature of a plane mirror is infinite.

PROPERTIES OF A PLANE MIRROR

The properties of a plane mirror are: 

• The image formed is of the same size as that of the object.
• The image forms erect. 
• The distance of the image formed is equal to the distance of the kept object from the plane mirror. 
• It forms a virtual image.

Source 

SUMMARY

• A plane mirror is a surface that needs at least two rays of light to make an image.
• It creates an image that is of the same size as the object and which is a virtual and erect image. 
• It forms laterally inverted images, meaning that images are not reversed from top to bottom, but are reversed from left to right.
• Some of the most common uses of the plane mirrors are in periscopes, kaleidoscopes, automobiles, shaving mirrors, and in the head of torches and solar cookers for security-related purposes.

FAQs

1. What do you mean by a plane mirror?

A flat, polished, and reflective surface that produces a virtual erect image of the real object is called a plane mirror. 

2. What is the image formed by a plane mirror?

The images formed by a plane mirror are virtual, erect, and of the same size as an object. 

3. What are the characteristics of a plane mirror?

The characteristics of a plane mirror are: 

• Formed images are virtual
• It forms an erect image 
• The distance between the image and object is equal to the plane mirror.      
• It exclusively forms laterally inverted images.

We hope you enjoyed studying this lesson and learned something cool about Plane Mirrors! Join our Discord community to get any questions you may have answered and to engage with other students just like you! We promise, it makes studying much more fun!😎

REFERENCES

1. Plane Mirror: https://byjus.com/physics/plane-mirrors/ Accessed 14th April 2022.
2. Image Characteristics: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/Lesson-2/Image-Characteristics Accessed 14th April 2022.
3. Plane Mirrors: https://www.vedantu.com/physics/plane-mirrors Accessed 14th April 2022.
4. Plane Mirrors: https://www.vedantu.com/physics/uses-of-plane-mirror Accessed 14th April 2022.