Question

If an object that stands 3 centimeters high is placed 12 centimeters in front of a plane mirror, how far from the mirror is the image located? Explain your Answer

Answer 1

Answer:

12 cm

Explanation:

Mirrors work on the principle of reflection.

Reflection occurs when a ray of light bounces off a surface, being reflecting back into the original medium.

Mirrors are surfaces over which light is reflected; as a result, objects placed in front of a mirror produce an image of themselves.

There are two types of mirrors:

- Curved mirrors: this mirrors are curved, and are further divided into convex mirrors and concave mirrors. These mirrors can produce images that are real or virtual, bigger or smaller tha the original objects, and also upright or inverted, depending on the position of the object with respect to the mirror

- Flat mirrors: these mirrors are perfectly flat. The image produced by a flat mirror is:

• The same size as the object
• Laterally inverted
• Upright
• At the same distance as the object from the mirror (4)
• Virtual (it appears "behind" the mirror)

In this problem, the object is located 12 cm in front of the mirror.  According to statement (4), the image produced by a flat mirror is at the same distance as the object: therefore  in this case, it is 12 cm.