Question

the magnification produced when an object is placed at a distance of 20 cm from a spherical mirror is 1/2. where should the object be placed to reduce the magnification to 1/3?

Answer 1

The object should be placed at a distance of 30 cm from the spherical mirror to reduce the magnification to 1/3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The magnification produced by a spherical mirror is given by the formula:

m = -di / do

Where:

• m = magnification
• di = image distance
• do = object distance

Given that the magnification is initially 1/2 when the object is 20 cm from the mirror, we can substitute these values into the formula to solve for di:

1/2 = -di / 20 cm

Simplifying the equation:

di = -10 cm

Now, we need to find the object distance (do) required to reduce the magnification to 1/3.

We can rearrange the formula to solve for do:

1/3 = -(-10 cm) / do

Simplifying the equation:

do = 30 cm

Therefore, the object should be placed at a distance of 30 cm from the spherical mirror to reduce the magnification to 1/3.