Chapter 10 • Question 6

A concave mirror produces three times magnified (enlarged) real image of an object placed at 10 cm in front of it. Where is the image located?

Answer Revealed

Direct Answer: Using the magnification formula m = -v/u, with m = -3 (real image), u = -10 cm, we get -3 = -v/(-10), so v = -30 cm. The image is located 30 cm in front of the mirror.

Simple Explanation

Since the image is real and 3 times bigger, it forms on the same side as the object. Using the magnification formula, the image distance works out to 30 cm in front of the mirror.

Exam-Ready Structure

Given: Magnification (m) = -3 (negative because image is real and inverted). Object distance (u) = -10 cm (negative by sign convention, object is in front of the mirror). Using the magnification formula: m = h'/h = -v/u. Substituting: -3 = -v/(-10). -3 = v/10. v = -30 cm. The negative sign indicates that the image is formed in front of the mirror (on the same side as the object), which is consistent with a real image. Answer: The image is located 30 cm in front of the concave mirror.

Key Points

For a real image, magnification is negative: m = -3
Object distance is negative by sign convention: u = -10 cm
Using m = -v/u: v = -30 cm
Image is 30 cm in front of the mirror

A concave mirror produces three times magnified (enlarged) real image of an object placed at 10 cm in front of it. Where is the image located?