Activity 13.3: Formation of Images by a Plane Mirror
In this activity, a light source is positioned in front of a plane mirror to observe how light rays reflect off the mirror. Two rays, OA and OC, are incident on the mirror at points A and C, respectively. By drawing normals at these points and using the laws of reflection, students can discover the direction of the reflected rays AB and CD. Interestingly, although the reflected rays appear to converge at a point I behind the mirror, they do not actually meet; instead, this point is referred to as a virtual image. This understanding provides insight into how mirrors create images that undergo lateral inversion.
The section emphasizes several laws of reflection: (1) the angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection, and (2) the incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal line all lie in the same plane. Furthermore, the exploration of multiple images formed by varied angles between two plane mirrors, as well as the design and use of devices like periscopes and kaleidoscopes, illustrates the broader applications of these reflection principles.