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Question

http://i.imgur.com/ALUdyoB.png

Create a set-up, as shown in the Figure, consisting of two mirror tiles (A and B) and a bird face, facing to the right . Make sure the two mirrors are perpendicular to the table and parallel to each other. The situation shown is a front view of the situation.

Question A: If look at a mirror from the same direction and angle as one of the two arrows that are drawn, you will see the bird in the mirror. Draw the two mirror images of the bird, making sure the bird mirror is facing to the correct side!

My Try

I tried to draw a mirror reflection.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9U67i12.png[/IMG]

But Can the light ray (in yellow) simply go through the bird?

Brandon Enright
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user108681
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    No. You should see the bird standing in front of its own back in the mirror image. If you look along the yellow ray you've drawn will see the top of the bird's head, the bottom of the bird in the mirror image will be obscured. – Brandon Enright Nov 14 '13 at 07:32
  • @BrandonEnright, thanks, but how would you add "mirror image B' of mirror B to mirror A." if some parts are obscured?? – user108681 Nov 14 '13 at 13:22
  • Cross-posted to http://math.stackexchange.com/q/566801/11127 – Qmechanic Aug 21 '14 at 01:08

3 Answers3

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I suggest at looking at the rays from the edges of the object, like this:

MirrorA

where the thin lines show where the image appears to the observer at A.

John Alexiou
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Well if you are looking at exactly the angle of one of those arrows, you wont see the actual bird, but you likely will see one of its reflections. Draw additional phantom mirrors at intervals of s distance, and extend the two arrows beyond A and B, until you find which one you hit has the bird there at the intersection; if any. With no information on your distance away, so field angle information, you must assume zero angular deviation from those exact arrow directions, so you need a direct hit on the bird to see it. The yellow ray is NOT at the angle of the arrow.

By my eyeball from the computer screen, the left arrow sees the bird after one reflection, the right arrow never sees the bird.

Brandon Enright
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For that you should try just the opposite you have tried earlier. the light will be reflected as shown.enter image description here

Aman Singh
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