Centre of curvature of a mirror and the perpendicular

Click For Summary
The normal line to a spherical mirror is always perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence, which means it passes through the center of curvature. When light rays travel through the center of curvature, they reflect back along the same path since the angle of incidence is zero. This principle holds true for spherical mirrors, confirming that the normal indeed intersects the center of curvature. Therefore, the relationship between the normal and the center of curvature is consistent in spherical mirrors. Understanding this concept is crucial for analyzing light behavior in optics.
shihab-kol
Messages
119
Reaction score
8
If the normal is always 90 to the mirror can we assume that it always passes through centre of curvature?
The light rays passing through the centre are reflected back in the same direction as angle of incidence is 0
and incident angle is 90
so, the normal should pass through the centre.
 
Science news on Phys.org
If the mirror is spherical it will pass through centre
 

Similar threads

Replies
12
Views
9K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
460
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
  • · Replies 172 ·
6
Replies
172
Views
20K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
714