Concave Mirror Real Image
Safety Warnings
Warning: Bright Light Source
Purpose
A concave parabolic mirror creates a real image of hidden upside-down roses that appears upright inside a glass, demonstrating real image formation by curved mirrors. Students see that real images exist in three-dimensional space where light physically converges, not on a surface.
Figure 1:
The complete illusion: a rose appears to sit upright in the glass. The real image is formed by the concave mirror from hidden inverted roses inside the box.
Figure 2:
Close-up showing the glass at the image position, with the concave mirror visible behind it.
Figure 3:
Setup revealed: cloth roses hidden inside the box below the focal point, flood lamp for illumination, and the glass positioned on the lid directly above the focal point.