Calculating the Image Height from a Double-Sided Spherical Mirror

In summary, the man's image distance when looking into the concave surface of the double-sided spherical mirror is 17.6 cm, with a positive magnification of +0.22. The focal length was calculated to be -12.64 cm, and the mistake in the original attempt was due to incorrect signs in the formula. When corrected, the answer matches the expected result.
  • #1
theintarnets
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Homework Statement



A man holds a double-sided spherical mirror so that he is looking directly into its convex surface, 44.8 cm from his face. The magnification of the image of his face is +0.22. What will be the image distance when he reverses the mirror (looking into its concave surface), maintaining the same distance between the mirror and his face?

Homework Equations



m = -di/do
1/f = 1/di + 1/do

The Attempt at a Solution



First I solved for the focal length like this:

di = - (m*do)
di = - (.22*44.8) = -9.856 cm

1/f = 1/di + 1/do
1/f = 1/-9.856 + 1/44.8
f = -12.64 cm

Then I tried to solve for the image height of the concave side:

1/di = 1/f - 1/do
1/di = 1/-12.64 - 1/40.8
di = -9.856 cm

But the answer should have been 17.6, I don't really know what to do. Please help?
 
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  • #2
Oh, I think I got it! I think the signs in the formula switch to + for concave surfaces. When I do 1/di = 1/-12.64 + 1/44.8 I get -17.6. But I think my signs are wrong altogether, because it's supposed to be positive...
 

Related to Calculating the Image Height from a Double-Sided Spherical Mirror

1. What is image height?

Image height refers to the vertical dimension of an image, measured in pixels. It is the distance from the top to the bottom of the image.

2. How is image height measured?

Image height is measured in pixels, which stands for "picture element." Each pixel is a tiny square of color, and the more pixels an image has, the higher its resolution and the clearer it appears.

3. Can image height be changed without altering the width?

Yes, image height can be changed without altering the width. This can be done by resizing the image using image editing software or by adjusting the height attribute in HTML.

4. How does image height affect the quality of an image?

The higher the image height, the more pixels there are in the image and the higher its resolution. This can result in a clearer and more detailed image. However, if the image height is too large, it can also make the image file size larger and potentially slow down the loading time of the image.

5. Is there an ideal image height for web use?

There is no one ideal image height for web use, as it depends on the specific requirements of the website and the desired quality of the image. However, for optimal web performance, it is recommended to keep image heights below 1000 pixels. Additionally, it is important to properly compress and optimize images for web use to ensure faster loading times.

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