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Introduction:
Touch the Spring. In this experiment, a spring is placed in front of a concave mirror.The actual spring is not visible to the viewer, but the viewer can see the mirror image of the spring formed in space. When you try to touch the spring, you are attempting to touch an image. Your hand moves right through what seems to be a solid object!
Driving Question:
Why can't we touch the bulb or the image and what prevents us from doing so?
Materials:
A Concave Mirror 16 inch (40 cm) diameter
Wood
2 light Sockets
Scientific Principle:
The Science/Math principle involved in this project would be:
Optical Illusion:
Optical Illusion is a key concept in the experiment "Real Image in a Concave Mirror" because the image you see is formed by the concave spherical mirror. Light rays spreading out from one point on the light bulb are reflected by the concave mirror so that they come back together at a point in space - creating a real image of that point. The rays continue on through this convergence point and strike your eye. The lens of your eye brings the rays together once again to create an image on your retina which makes it seem that there is a bulb in reality there is none.
Real Image:
The image you see is formed by the concave spherical mirror. Light rays spreading out from one point on the light bulb are reflected by the concave mirror so that they come back together at a point in space - creating a real image of that point.
Concave Mirror:
Light rays spreading out from one point on the light bulb are reflected by the concave mirror.A concave mirror generally displays an inverted image which results in an illusion. In this experiment, the bulb is placed two focal lengths from the concave mirror, resulting in a real inverted image the same size as the bulb. The location should be at the center.
Procedures:
Make a small wooden box with one open side .
Mount the socket that has no electrical cord or plug so that it is centered on top of the box.
Mount the other socket (the one with the cord and plug) upside-down inside the box
Build the mirror support as shown in the drawing, and place the mirror in it
Plug in the light bulb and place the box with its open side facing the mirror.
To find the focal length of the mirror, place the mirror far from the light bulb - at least 20 feet (6 m) - so that its concave (hollow) side is facing the light bulb.
To find the location of the image, take a 3 x 5 inch (8 x 13 cm) card and hold it near the center of
- and touching - the surface of the mirror.
Move the card slowly away from the mirror. When the
image of the bulb is in sharp focus, the card is near the focal point.
Final Product:
Action Video
Pictures
Safety Measures:
When cutting the wood be sure that the there is no fragile material or a person standing around.
When putting the bulb be careful, not to burn the bulb or cause spark. Make sure that the bulb is of correct number of watts.
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