In a laboratory investigation a concave spherical mirror is positioned so that an…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Units and Measurements · Units and Measurements
Problem
In a laboratory investigation a concave spherical mirror is positioned so that an object is 31.0cm in front of the mirror. A real image is found on a screen 46.5cm from the mirror on the object side. The object distance has an uncertainty of ±0.2cm and the image distance an uncertainty of ±0.3cm. A manufacturer’s specification sheet lists the mirror’s radius of curvature as 37.5cm (no stated uncertainty).
(a) Using the nominal distances, calculate the focal length of the mirror.
(b) Propagate the given uncertainties to determine the absolute uncertainty in the focal length.
(c) From your result in part (b), find the mirror’s radius of curvature and its uncertainty.
(d) Evaluate whether the experimental value of the radius of curvature agrees with the manufacturer’s specification within experimental uncertainty. Support your conclusion quantitatively.