Return to Honors Physics Home Page (revised 4-26-02)
Reflection of Light – The Plane Mirror Lab
(Go to Glenbrook's Physics Classroom, Lesson 1 and Lesson 2, for background information related to reflection of light with plane mirrors)
Purpose:
Materials:
Procedure: (Outline the relevant steps needed to complete this lab)
Definitions:
(A) Incident ray
(B) Reflected ray
(C) Real image
(D) Virtual image
(E) Reversed image
(F) Mirror image
(G) Upright image
(H) Inverted image
(I) Angle "i"
(J) Angle "r"
(K) P
(L) Q
(M) SO
(N) SI
Diagram: (Each student in a group must submit a completed lab diagram, which must be the original actually performed in lab. The completely constructed diagram must display the following:
(1) Object triangle (solid line)
(2) Image (dashed line)
(3) Labeled apexes (A,B,C) of object and of image (A’,B’,C’)
(4) Labeled incident and reflected rays associated with each object apex, including directional arrows.
(5) Distances of object apexes to mirror labeled as a,b,c and measured in centimeters. Distances of image apexes to mirror labeled a’,b’, c’.
(6) Bisecting line (normal line) between an incident ray and its reflected ray for three of the possible six sets. Incident angle and reflected angle must be labeled (angle symbol + "i" or "r") and measured to the nearest 0.1°.
(7) Extended rays on virtual side drawn as dashed lines.
Conclusion:
(1) State the Law of Reflection.
(2) Explain where the Law of Reflection is substantiated (approximated) in this lab. State specific values.
(3) In the absence of human error, what is the relationship between the distance from object to mirror and the distance from image to mirror. State specific values.
(4) Compare/contrast the object and image as a whole, assuming no differences due to lab error (two similarities and two differences other than those stated in #3 and #5).
(5) Compare/contrast AB with A’B’ (one similarity and one difference) providing specific values, assuming no lab errors were made.
Three Sources of Lab Error: (Be specific including data values as substantiation)
Practice Problems: (You must answer FOUR of the following Reflection Short Answer problems).
Any THREE from #1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11; any ONE from # 13, 14, 15, 16, 17