If a virtual image is formed along the principal axis 9 cm from a concave mirror with the focal length 16 cm,what is the object distance from the mirror?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using the formula of mirror equation:
1/f = 1/o + 1/i
Where:
f = focal length = -16 cm (negative because it's a concave mirror)
i = image distance = 9 cm (given)
So, we can find the object distance as follows:
1/o = 1/f - 1/i
1/o = 1/-16 - 1/9
1/o = (-9 - 16) / (-16 * 9)
1/o = -25/144
o = -144/25 cm

However, since the object distance cannot be negative, we take the absolute value:
|o| = 144/25 cm = 5.76 cm ≈ 5.8 cm
Therefore, the object distance from the mirror is approximately 5.8 cm, which is option D.

If a Virtual Image Is Formed Along the Principal Axis