Name: Ray Model of Light
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 3 min 51 s
Description: Light is a mysterious phenomenon. Science is still trying to comprehend its true nature and until then, there is a way to visualise it. Here's how.

Question

Write the sign convention used for spherical mirrors.

Accepted Answer

The following sign convention is used for measuring various distances in the ray diagrams of spherical mirror object is always placed to the left of mirror. Distances measured along $y - axis$ above the principal axis are positive and the measured along $y - axis$ below the principal axis are negative.

Distance Quantity Symbol

From the pole to the object object distance $u$

From the pole to the image image distance $v$

From the pole to the focus Focal length $f$

From the pole to the centre radius of curvature $r$

Height of the objective object - height $h_{0}$

Height of the Image image- height $h_{e}$

Cordination convention for $u, v, f, r$ .

$u, v, f, r$ are measured from the pole. If a distance is measured along the incident rays, the corresponding quantity is positive. If a distance is measured opposite to the incident rays, the corresponding quantity is negative.

The object-height $h_{0}$ is always taken as positive. If the image is formed on the same side of the principal axis (erect image), the image-height $h_{e}$ is also positive. If the image is formed on the opposite side(inverted image ), $h_{e}$ is negative. The following diagram illustrates it.

Write the sign convention used for spherical mirrors.

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