128 COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICAL PHYSCS

EXPERIMENT 2

OBJECTIVE
To
find the focal length of a convex mirror using a conver lens.
APPARATUS
An
with lateraloptical bench with four uprights (two fixed uprights in middle, two outer
movement), convex lens (20cm focal length), convex mirror, alens holder
holder, two optical needles, (one one thick) a knitting needle, and a half upnghta
RAY DIAGRAM (Fig.
thin, ,amir or
metre scale,
7.09)
L

(a)

M;
P I( b ) d

Fig. 7.09. Focal length of convex mirror.

AShort Description about the Arrangement
As a convex mirror always forms a virtual image, its
as for a concave mirror. For this purpose, focal length cannot be found direcdy
indirect method is used, as described below.
An auxiliary convex lens Lis introduced between the convex mirror Mand objectneedle
Oas shown in Fig, 7.09 (a). Keeping the object needle at distance about 1.5 times roughfocal
Jength of con vexlens, the po8ition of convex mirror behind
convexUnder
and inverted image of object needle O, is formed at Oitself, lenssuch
is so adjusted
condition,that
theat
light
rays are incident normally over the convex mirror to retrace their path. In the absenceof
convex mirror, these rays would have met at centre of curvature Cof the convex mirror.The
distance PC gives the radius of curvature R of the mirror
To locate the position of C, convex mirror is removed (without disturbing theobjectneedle
Oand convex lens L). An image needle Iis put behindthe convex lens and moved toa position
 OF SPHERIOAL MIHHOHa
FOCALLENGTH

which there is no parallux betwoen tip of nverlud imnge of O dle nd tip MH

Position ofimage noedle I iveN position of eentn of
at eurvatura Gof bhu miwror M, Jiy A )

Then, PC =Pl=R and . R_P

2 2
THEORY(Formula used)

Focal length of aconvex mirror f 2

mirror,
where R = radius of curvatureof the
PROCEDURE (Stepwise)
Todetermine rough focal length of convex lens
1. Follow steps 1 to 4 of Experiment 1.
To set the lens
cmmark.
2. Clamp the holder with lens in a fixed upright and keep theupright at 50
the length of the
3.Adjust the lens such that its surface is vertical and perpendicular to
optical bench.
throughout.a
4. Keep the upright fixed in this position
To set the object needle
Mount it in outer laterally move
5. Take the thin optical needle as object needle (0).
able upright near zero end.
at a distance (in full cms) nearly 1.5
6. Move the object needle upright and clamp it
times the obtained rough focal length of the lens.o
tip lie on horizontal line through the
7. Adjust height of the object needle to make its
optical centre of the lens.
of the object needle upright.
8. Note the position of the index mark on the base
To set the convex mirror
second fixed upright near the lens upright,
9. Clamp the holder with convex mirror intowards lens.
keeping reflecting surface of the mirror line through the
pole lie on horizontal
10.Adjust the height of the mirror tomake its
optical centre of the lens.
perpendicular to the length of the optical bench
11.Make the mirror surface vertical and must coincide.)
(the principal axes of mirror and lens
bench (where object needle is mounted).
12. Move towards zero end of the optical
about 30 cm away from the tip of the object
13. Closing left eye, keep open right eye
needle.
the inverted image of the object needle (formed by reflection from the convex
14. See
mirror). inverted image and the object
position at which the tips of the
15.Keep the eye in a simultaneously:.
needle are seen
FOCALLENGTH OF SPHERICAL MIRRORS 131

1. Table for focal length of convex

mirror Focal
Serial Position of Radius of curvature (R)
No.of length
Convex R
Obs. Image Observed Corrected
mirror
P
needle PI
(cm)
PI
(cm)
f2(em)
(cm)
(2a)
(cm) (4)
(1) (26) (3a) (35)
1.
2.
3.

CALCULATIONS
1, Write observedPIincolumn 3a and corrected PIin column 36.
2. Divide corrected PI by 2 and write in column 4.
3. Find mean of values of frecorded in column 4.

RESULT
The focal length of the given convex mirror =... cm.

PRECAUTIONS (to be taken)

1.Principal axis of the lens should be horizontal and parallel to the central line of the
optical bench.
2. Allthe uprights should be vertical.
3.The tip of the needle, centre of the mirror and centre of the lens should be at the
same height.
4. While removing the parallax, the eye should be kept at a minimum distance of
30 cm from the needle.
5.Tip to tip parallax should be removed.
6. Index correction should be applied between the image needle I and back surface of
the convex mirror.
*7. The convex mirror should be placed close tothe convex lens.
8. For one set of observation, when the parallax has been removed for convex lens alone,
the positions of the lens and needle O
uprights should not be changed.
SOURCES OF ERROR
1.Same as in Experiment 1.
2. Focal length of lens may not be small.