Physics – 3.2.1 Reflection of light | e-Consult

When light travels towards a plane mirror, it reflects according to the law of reflection: the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. This means that the angle at which the light ray strikes the mirror is the same as the angle at which it bounces off.

Consider a ray of light originating from a point on an object. This ray travels to the mirror and reflects. The reflected ray then appears to originate from a point behind the mirror. This apparent origin is the location of the image. The image is formed by the apparent intersection of the reflected rays.

Specifically, the image appears to be the same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front of the mirror. The rays of light do not actually converge; they only appear to do so when traced backwards.