A source of light O is placed in front of a plane mirror PQ. Two rays OA and OC are incident on it (Fig.). Can you find out the direction of the reflected rays?

Draw normals to the surface of the mirror PQ, at points A and C.Then draw the reflected rays at points A and C. How would you draw these rays? Call the reflected rays AB and CD, respectively. Extend them further. Do they meet? Extend them backward. Do they meet now? If they meet, mark this point as I. For a viewer’s eye at E (Fig.), do the reflected rays appear to come from point I? Since the reflected rays do not actually meet at I, but only appear to do so, we say that a virtual image of the point O is formed at I. As you have learnt already in Class VII, such an image cannot be obtained on a screen.