A clothing store fixes a rectangular plane mirror of length on a wall with its top…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 2: Algebra-based · Geometric Optics · Geometric Optics

Problem

A clothing store fixes a rectangular plane mirror of length 0.90 m0.90\,\text{m} on a wall with its top edge positioned 1.70 m1.70\,\text{m} above the floor. Customers stand on the floor in front of the mirror to check their outfits. (i) Derive an expression that links the customer’s height HH (in metres), the height of the eyes above the floor EE, the given mirror length, and the position of the mirror edges. (ii) Using your expression, determine the greatest value of HH for which a customer can still see the full image if the customer’s eyes are 1.60 m1.60\,\text{m} above the floor. (iii) Comment on whether a customer whose eyes are 1.40 m1.40\,\text{m} above the floor but who is 1.75 m1.75\,\text{m} tall will be able to see the entire image. Support your answer with suitable working.

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