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An object is placed at 10 cm in front of a concave mirror of radius of curvature 15 cm. Then the magnification of the image is ________.

Asked in GSEB Board August 2020 · Mirror formula and magnification

Answer: (2) -3

Step-by-step solution

Given: concave mirror of radius of curvature 15 cm, object 10 cm in front, so u=-10 cm.

Idea: get the focal length from f=R/2, then v from the mirror formula, then m=-v/u.

f=-(15)/2=-7.5 cm, negative for a concave mirror.

1/v=1/f-1/u=1/(-7.5)+1/(10)=-1/(30), so v=-30 cm.

The minus sign puts the image in front of the mirror, so it is real.

m=-v/u=-(-30)/(-10)=-3

The object sits between the focus at 7.5 cm and the centre of curvature at 15 cm, so a real, inverted, three-times enlarged image is exactly what to expect.

Why the other options are wrong

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