Mirrors and Labs

Objective: In this lab experiment we tested the various properties of different forms of
mirrors such as, a plane mirror, a convex mirror and a concave mirror. The objective of
this experiment was to test the law of reflection.

Theory: The law of reflection states that when an incoming ray hits a reflecting surface,
the angle of incidence should equal to the angle of reflection. The incoming ray, which is
the ray of incidence, will form an angle of incidence with the normal line. If the ray
follows the law of reflection then the angle of reflection will equal the angle of incidence.
This law applies to all three types of mirrors; plane, convex and concave mirrors.

Materials
The materials that were used for this lab experiment are as follows: a plane mirror with a
wooden holder, a ruler, paper, pencil, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, protractor, a
compass and a laser.

Method:
1) First I drew a line across the middle of the paper then I placed the plane mirror along
with the holder on the line. I marked a dot on the paper, which was perpendicular to the
mirror and labeled it object. My partner and I then pointed a laser at the object from
right side of the paper then at left side of the paper and marked the location of where the
incident and reflected rays where. We then traced back the reflected lines and marked
where they crossed and measured distances.
2) We repeated this procedure but instead of drawing a dot that represented one object,
we drew two points that represented two objects. My partner and I reflected the laser
beam on each point and measured the angles of incident and reflection of each point.
3) The next procedure was to draw two points, labeled A and B, which formed a slanted
line when connected. My partner and I reflected a laser beam twice on each point and
traced back the reflected lines on the opposite side of the mirror. We measured the
distances of the points from the mirror and the virtual image of the points away from the
mirror.
4) I placed a cylindrical mirror on the sheet of paper and traced the mirror so it forms a
concave shape. We drew an object 16 cm away from the concave mirror and its height
measured 1.5 cm. Next we used a compass to find the curvature point on the principal
axis. We reflected a laser beam twice on the object point and marked the incidence and
reflected rays.
5) Afterward, we repeated the same steps but with a convex mirror.

Data Analysis and Discussion: In this lab procedure we tested the properties of different
mirrors and in addition studied the law of reflection. During the first procedure we
measured the distance of an object away from the mirror and its reflected image. The
distance of the object was 10.0 cm and the distance of the image was 10.0 cm. Thus, the
law of reflection is proven because the distance between the two images is the same.
In the second setup, we measured the incidence angles and reflected angles of the
rays. The first incident ray measured (NEED PROTRACTOR) degrees and the reflected
ray measured (NEED PROTRACTOR) degrees.

NOT SURE ABOUT PART 3
In the forth procedure, we examined the reflection of an object in a concave
mirror. The distance of the object from the mirror was 16 cm and the focal length was 0.8
cm. The image produced by the object was inverted. The experimental matched the
expected for a concave mirror. For a concave mirror when an object is beyond the
curvature point then the image will be inverted and its length will be reduced. Based on
the equation 1/di+1/do=1/f, the distance of the image is 5.42 cm and the experimental
measurement of the image is 5.30 cm.
The fifth trail analyzed the properties of a convex mirror. The experimental
followed the predicated; the image was upright, behind the mirror and reduced. The
height of the object was 1.5 cm and height of the image was 0.8 cm. The mirror formula
(1/di+1/do=1/f) calculated that the distance for image is 5.24 cm and the experimental
distance is 5.30 cm.

Conclusion
Based on the data gathered from the experiment it can be concluded that the law
of reflection and the aspects of concave and convex mirrors were confirmed.

Mirrors and Labs

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Objective: In this lab experiment we tested the various properties of different forms of

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