Near and far

The idea

The closer an object is to a plane mirror, the closer its image appears to the mirror; the farther the object, the farther the image appears.

Walk towards the mirror

Stand in front of a mirror and walk slowly towards it.

What happens to your image as you walk towards the mirror?

• It comes closer to the mirror
• It moves away from the mirror
• It stays where it was

Move the pen

Slide the pen close to the mirror and then far from it. The squares are an example.

Near object, near image

When the pen was near the mirror its image was near the mirror too. When the pen was far, the image was far.

The closer an object is to a plane mirror, the closer its image appears to the mirror; the farther the object, the farther the image appears.

Notes

The closer an object is to a plane mirror, the closer its image appears to the mirror; the farther the object, the farther the image appears.

Check yourself

The pen is moved closer to the mirror. Its image …

In the picture the pen is 2 squares in front of the mirror. How many squares behind the mirror does its image appear?

Answer: 2 squares

2 squares. The image is as far behind the mirror as the pen is in front.

Which statement is right?

You stand far from a plane mirror. Your image appears …

• stays where it was. The image follows the object.
• moves farther from the mirror. The image comes closer too.
• comes closer to the mirror — correct. Yes! It follows the pen.
• The farther the object, the closer the image. The farther the object, the farther the image appears.
• The farther the object, the farther the image appears — correct. Yes! The image follows the object.
• The image always stays at the mirror. The image appears closer or farther as the object does.
• on the mirror. The image appears far from the mirror when you are far from it.
• close to the mirror. That happens when you stand close to the mirror.
• far from the mirror — correct. Yes! It follows your distance.