AAMC FL Practice Exam

Which type of image is produced by concave mirrors when f > 0?

1. Virtual and enlarged

2. Real and inverted

3. Real and upright

4. Virtual and inverted

The correct answer is: Real and inverted

Concave mirrors produce real and inverted images when the object is located beyond the focal point (f > 0). When light rays from an object hit the surface of a concave mirror, they reflect and converge at a point known as the focal point. For objects placed beyond the focal point, the reflected rays cross each other after bouncing off the mirror, resulting in a real image. A real image is formed on the same side as the object and can be projected onto a screen. Additionally, the nature of the image produced by concave mirrors under these conditions is inverted, meaning that the orientation of the image is upside down compared to the object, which is a characteristic behavior of concave mirrors in this scenario. Other possible image characteristics, such as being virtual or upright, occur under different conditions. For example, a virtual image produced by a concave mirror occurs only when the object is placed between the mirror's surface and its focal point, resulting in an upright image. However, when the object is beyond the focal point, the image remains real and inverted, confirming why real and inverted is the correct description for the type of image produced in this case.