Question

Why do we say that a plane mirror forms a virtual image of an object?

Answer 1

In the case of plane mirrors, the image is said to be a virtual image. Virtual images are images that are formed in locations where light does not actually reach. Light does not actually pass through the location on the other side of the mirror; it only appears to an observer as though the light is coming from this location. Whenever a mirror (whether a plane mirror or otherwise) creates an image that is virtual, it will be located behind the mirror where light does not really come from. Later in this unit, we will study instances in which real images are formed by curved mirrors. Such images are formed on the same side of the mirror as the object and light passes through the actual image location.