Curved Mirror and Lenses Lab
Purpose:
to determine the behaviour of light as it reflects through curved
surfaces.
Materials:
Concave and convex mirrors
Beam box
Blank paper
Pencil
Ruler
Procedure:
1. Set up your beam box and concave mirror on a sheet of blank paper.
Make sure you give yourself plenty of space in between.
2. Shine the beam box directly at the mirror. It should be parallel to the
principal axis.
3. Trace the outline of the mirror and the beam box.
4. Draw at least 4 rays from the beam box and reflecting off of the
mirror.
5. Label the following on your drawing: principal axis, focal point, focal
length, centre of curvature.
6. Repeat steps 1 – 5 with the convex mirror.
Follow-up Questions:
1. How did you know there the focal point was?
2. How did you measure your focal length?
3. How did you determine your centre of curvature? What is its
relationship to focal length?
4. With the convex mirror was it difficult to find the focal point? Why?
Conclusion:
What did you discover during this lab?