Chapter 34: Q4Q (page 1037)

A penguin waddles along the central axis of a concave mirror, from the focal point to an effectively infinite distance. (a) How does its image move? (b) Does the height of its image increase continuously, decrease continuously, or change in some more complicated manner?

Short Answer

Expert verified

(a) The penguin’s image moves from infinity to the focal point.

(b) The height of the penguin’s image decreases continuously.

Step by step solution

Given data

A penguin waddles along the central axis of a concave mirror from the focal point to an effectively infinite distance.

Understanding the concept of optical image

Using the characteristics of the image formed due to a concave mirror when an object is placed at a focal point and an infinite distance from the focal point, we can answer the above questions.

(a) Calculation of the reason of movement of the image

The penguin’s image moves from infinity to the focal point since it waddles along the central axis of a concave mirror, from the focal point to an effectively infinite distance.

(b) Calculation of the change in height of the image

The height of the penguin’s image decreases continuously since it waddles along the central axis of a concave mirror, from the focal point to an effectively infinite distance.