Demonstrations

Mirrors - Image of a Light Bulb

Code Number :	6A20.30
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: University of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Excellent
Principle :	Concave, Convex Mirrors, Focal Lengths
Area of Study :	Optics
Equipment :	Large Parabolic Mirror, Inverted Light Bulb in a Box, Candle, Grill Lighter, Small Spherical Mirror.
Procedure :	Clean the parabolic mirror thoroughly. Position the box in front of the mirror as shown. Care must be taken to position the box so that the light bulb image is on the dummy socket. A candle can be made to appear to burn at both ends. Place the candle horizontal and at the focal point of the mirror and when lined up, light the candle. One end of the candle will have the flame pointing upward while the other end of the candle will have the candle pointing downward.

References

Robert M. Graham, "Real Image Produced by a Concave Mirror", TPT, Vol. 44, # 3, March 2006, p. 186.

Robert M. Graham, "Convincing Students of the Existence of a Real Image", TPT, Vol. 32, # 4, Apr. 1994, p. 238.

R.D. Edge and Edwin R, Jones, Jr., "Optical Illusions", TPT, Vol. 22, # 9 , Dec. 1984, p. 591.

Christopher Conery, "The Reality of a Real Image", TPT, Vol. 21, # 9, Dec. 1983, p. 589.

Robert M. Graham, "Real Image Produced by a Concave Mirror", TPT, Vol. 15, # 2, Feb. 1977, p. 116.

Oc-4,10: Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.

O-160: "Is a Bulb in Socket? - Toy," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

O-165: "Burn Candle at Both Ends," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

R. Gardner, "The Little Bulb That Isn't There," Make an Interactive Science Museum, p. 86-89.

Raymond Bruman, "Touch the Spring," Exploratorium Cookbook I, p. 16.1 - 16.2.

"Touch the Spring," Exploratorium Science Snackbook, 100.1 - 100.2.

Brian Jones and Matt Fackelman, "Phantom Light Bulb", Don't Forget the Duct Tape, p. 89 - 92.

"Spherical Mirrors", Selective Experiments in Physics, CENCO, 1962.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille