Starter quiz
- Which of the following is a word meaning ‘representation of a real object’?
- image ✓
- normal
- objective
- imaginary object
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- Which of the following is a definition of the word ‘inverted’?
- reflected
- rotated a half turn
- rotated a full turn
- turned upside–down ✓
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- Which of the following are definitions of the word ‘reflection’?
- What we can see in a mirror. ✓
- An object that is in front of a mirror.
- What happens when light ‘bounces off’ a surface. ✓
- Light changing direction when it enters a material.
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- Which of the following describe the way a plane (flat) mirror reflects light?
- If the incident rays are parallel, then the reflected rays are parallel. ✓
- If the incident rays are parallel, then the reflected rays are not parallel.
- If the incident rays are not parallel, then the reflected rays are parallel.
- If the incident rays are not parallel, then the reflected rays are not parallel. ✓
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- In the laws of reflection, which of the following statements comparing the angle of incidence and angle of reflection are correct?
- Both angles are in the same plane. ✓
- Both angles are in different planes.
- The angles are on opposite sides of the mirror.
- The angles are on opposite sides of the normal. ✓
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- A pupil holds up a white screen at a short distance from a filament bulb that is switched on. Which of the following statements explains why a representation of the bulb does not appear on the screen?
- The light hitting the screen is too dim.
- The light hitting the screen is too bright.
- Light from each point on the bulb hits every point on the screen. ✓
- Light from each point on the bulb hits only one point on the screen.
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Exit quiz
- A door is 4 m from a mirror. What is the distance between the door and the place where its reflection appears to be?
- 2 m
- 4 m
- 6 m
- 8 m ✓
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The picture shows four people and a cat looking at a mirror. Who can see the cat in the mirror?- Alex
- Andeep
- Laura ✓
- Sofia
- nobody
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A pupil has a piece of card with the text ‘HELLO’ on it, as shown. They flip it around horizontally so that it faces a mirror. Which of the following reflections do they see in the mirror?- Which of the following describes reflections seen in mirrors?
- If an object is on the right, its image is on the left.
- The image of an object can be larger than the object.
- The image of an object can be smaller than the object.
- If an object is farther from the mirror, its image is further from the mirror. ✓
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- Which of the following statements about virtual rays and virtual images are correct?
- Virtual rays are drawn as solid lines.
- Virtual rays show paths travelled by light.
- Virtual rays do not show paths travelled by light. ✓
- A virtual image cannot be projected onto a screen. ✓
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- Which of the following explains why we see images in mirrors?
- The mirror creates light which produces images.
- Our brain imagines reflections because we are expecting to see them.
- Light from objects passes through the mirror to make images behind it.
- Our eyes trace back to where the reflected rays appear to have come from. ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Reflections are the same size as the object, upright, and the same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front.
- In a plane mirror, reflections appear laterally inverted compared to the object when it is facing us.
- Mirrors reflect what is in front of them. Reflections are laterally inverted as objects are turned to face a mirror.
- Reflections are virtual images; they appear where light rays seem to have come from, not where they actually come from.
- Virtual rays show where light rays appear to have come from; they are drawn as dashed lines.
Common misconception
Mirrors must somehow turn images around or ‘flip’ them to make reflections laterally inverted.
Explicitly teach that a mirror merely (and passively) reflects what is directly in front of each part of it. Pupils can observe the reflection of text on clear plastic: the image is the same as what is seen looking through the back of the text.
Keywords
Image - a representation of an object
Reflection - (1) the process of light ‘bouncing off’ a surface (2) an image seen in a mirror
Laterally inverted - describes an image that has been ‘flipped’ horizontally
Virtual ray - a dashed line drawn to show where light seems to be (but is not actually) coming from
Virtual image - an image that can be seen but not projected onto a screen
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