Quick Optics (Physics) Question

talk random
1

A couple of hours to go until a test and I’ve got a burning question that I can’t find an answer to on Google.

**If a virtual object is placed in front of a flat mirror, what’s the resulting image? Virtual or real? **(assuming no refractions, only reflection)
The textbook didn’t really explicitly say anything about this. I know that a real object placed in front of a mirror will result in a virtual image. Would it be the other way around the object was virtual in the first place?

The reason I ask is cause of multiple lens/mirror problems. If there is first a diverging lens that produces a virtual image from a real object and then passes the light onto a mirror, what’s the result?

Thanks in advance.

2

this is my like a psychology question than a physics question, i think. :stuck_out_tongue:

i’m sorry, i don’t know… good luck on the test. :beam:

3

Thanks :smiley:

4

real? i think the mirror flips it if I remember … it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything with mirrors

5

I have no idea. Honestly I don’t think it’d even reflect. But I really have no idea.

6

The reason I ask is cause of multiple lens/mirror problems. If there is first a diverging lens that produces a virtual image from a real object and then passes the light onto a mirror, what’s the result?

according to my understanding it should be virtual
logically - if you place an apple in front of a mirror it makes a “virtual” reflection in the mirror, now aim this mirror at a lense or another mirror, the image that is created is still a variant of the apple but not a true representation of it…thereby virtual.

“A diverging lens can only produce a virtual image, because the light passing through a diverging lens never converges to a point. The virtual image produced by a diverging lens is always right-side-up and smaller than the original object. The image and the object viewed are always on the same side of the lens. Diverging lenses are used as viewfinders in cameras.”

http://www.bookrags.com/sciences/physics/lenses-wop.html

http://online.cctt.org/physicslab/content/Phy1/lessonnotes/diverginglenses/diverginglenses.asp

7

OOoo that makes sense prstudio. Yeah the multiple mirrors argument works. Sweet thanks!

8

np - hope you do well on the test

9

yes, like prstudio said it is virtual

10

yeah ok i agree… i havent done any of that stuff for like 2 years…

11

:smiley: Now that was fun to wrap my head around :stuck_out_tongue:

12

Good luck :thumb:

13

Shanks!

14

Wouldn’t it depend if the virtual object is on the focal point, outside, or inside focal length? Also, how can an object be virtual?

for a mirror:

“real images form on the side of a mirror where the object is, and virtual images form on the opposite side.”

for a thin lense:

“real images form on the side of a lense that is opposite the object, and virtual images form on the side where the object is.”

right out of my textbook.

Now as for the question: I think when doing two lense problems you simply treat the first resultant image as the object for the other, regardless of whether or not it is virtual.

give it a shot on a few practice problems.

15

I have no idea,either.good luck!:slight_smile: