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#center of curvature

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

In a concave mirror, when the object is placed at the center of curvature, where is the image formed?

**Critical angle** C satisfies sinC = n₂/n₁, n₁>n₂, n₂=1 for air, n₁=1.52 for glass gives sinC=1/1.52=0.6579, C≈41.1°, for water n=1.33 C=48.75°. Beyond C, total internal reflection occurs, all light reflected, no refracted ray, used in optical fibers and prisms. For a concave mirror, when the object is at the center of curvature (C), the reflected rays converge back to the same point after reflection. This results in a real, inverted image formed at the center of curvature, with the same size as the object. Substituting values gives At the center of curvature, which matches expected image pos

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Ray Optics > Total Internal Reflection and Critical Angle

In a concave mirror, when an object is placed beyond the center of curvature, what is the nature of the image formed?

**Mirror formula** 1/f = 1/v + 1/u governs spherical mirrors, f = R/2, R radius of curvature (m), u object distance (m), v image distance (m), sign convention: distances in front of mirror negative for real is convention but magnitude used, magnification m = -v/u, concave forms real inverted when object beyond F, virtual erect within F. For a concave mirror, if the object is placed beyond the center of curvature (C), the image is formed between the focal point (F) and C. The rays converge after reflection, producing a real image that is inverted and diminished in size compared to the object. S

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Ray Optics > Reflection by Spherical Mirrors and Mirror Formula