An object is placed 20.0 cm in front of a convex spherical mirror with radius of curvature 60.0 cm.Which one of the following phrases best describes the image?
A)virtual and located at infinity
B)real and located 12 cm from the mirror
C)real and located 17 cm from the mirror
D)virtual and located 12 cm from the mirror
E)virtual and located 17 cm from the mirror

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Convex mirrors always produce virtual, upright, and reduced images regardless of the object's position. The image distance can be found using the mirror equation $ \frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{d_o} + \frac{1}{d_i} $, where $ f $ is the focal length, $ d_o $ is the object distance, and $ d_i $ is the image distance. For a convex mirror, $ f = \frac{R}{2} = 30 $ cm (positive because it's a convex mirror), and $ d_o = -20 $ cm (negative in the mirror equation convention for real objects). Solving the equation gives $ d_i $ as positive, indicating a virtual image, and the calculation yields a value around 12 cm, making option D correct.

An Object Is Placed 20