PhysicsLAB: Man and the Mirror

Directions: sample ray diagram (link)

Draw a vertical line from the top of the man's hat to his feet that passes through the front of the man's eye. Measure, in cm, the man's height.
Using your vertical line in Step (1), measure the distance, in cm, that the man is from the mirror and then accurately locate his image.
Using a sharp pencil, draw a dotted normal to connect his "eyes."
Next, draw the rays that will enable the man to see the image of his hat (color #1) and the image of his feet (color #2).
Measure, in cm, the minimum length of mirror required in each diagram to capture these required rays.

Data Table I

measurement

(cm)

man's height

man's distance from mirror

minimum length of mirror

ratio of mirror length to man's height

Data Table II

measurement

(cm)

man's height

man's distance from mirror

minimum length of mirror

ratio of mirror length to man's height

Conclusions:

(1) Based on these two diagrams, does the minimum length of mirror required depend on the man's distance from the mirror? Support your answer numerically.

(2) Based on these two diagrams, how does the minimum mirror length compare to the man's height? Support your answer numerically.