Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding image formation in…

2019

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding image formation in plane mirror?

A. Image is erect.
B. Image is real.
C. Image is laterally inverted.
D. The image size is same that of object.

  1. A.

    A, B, C

  2. B.

    A, C, D

  3. C.

    B, C, D

  4. D.

    A, B, D

Attempted by 33 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Concept

A plane mirror forms an image by reflecting light. The reflected rays only appear to diverge from a point behind the mirror, so they never actually meet — this makes the image virtual (it cannot be caught on a screen). For a plane mirror the standard characteristics are: the image is virtual and erect, it is laterally inverted (left and right appear swapped), it has the same size as the object (magnification = 1), and it lies as far behind the mirror as the object is in front.

Applying it to each statement

  • Image is erect — TRUE. The image stays upright, the same way up as the object.

  • Image is real — FALSE. A plane mirror always forms a virtual image; the rays only seem to come from behind the mirror and cannot be projected onto a screen.

  • Image is laterally inverted — TRUE. The mirror reverses the sense of left and right, which is why text appears reversed in a mirror.

  • Image size is the same as the object — TRUE. The magnification of a plane mirror is exactly 1, so the image is neither enlarged nor diminished.

Result

Statements A, C and D are correct, while statement B is wrong because the image is virtual, not real. Hence the correct combination is A, C, D.

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