Question

A concave mirror of a focal length of $10cm$ can produce a magnified real as well as a virtual image of an object placed in front of it. Draw ray diagrams to justify this statement.

Answer 1

Notations for the ray diagrams are:

$h_0=heightoftheobject$

$h_i=heightoftheimage$

$C=centerofcurvature$

$F=Principalfocus$

$P=pole$

$Arrows=directionofrays$

A concave mirror can produce a magnified real image when the object is placed between the center of curvature and focus:

From this ray diagram, we can say:

1. Image is inverted, real, and enlarged.
2. The image is beyond C.

A concave mirror can produce a magnified virtual image when the object is placed between pole and focus:

From this ray diagram, we can say:

1. Image is erect, virtual, and enlarged.
2. The image is behind the mirror.

This is how a concave mirror produces a real and virtual image when the object is kept in front of it and the focal length is $10cm$.