Which statement about plane mirrors is true?

• A. The image is virtual and upright, and same size as the object
• B. The image is real and inverted
• C. Light is absorbed by the mirror
• D. The image is formed by light that passes through the mirror

Answer: (A)

In a plane mirror, the image you see is virtual, upright, and the same size as the object, and it appears behind the mirror at the same distance that the object is in front. This happens because light reflects off the flat surface with equal angles of incidence and reflection, and if you extend those reflected rays backward, they seem to come from a point behind the mirror. Since the rays don’t actually converge to form a real image on a screen, it’s virtual. The flat surface preserves size, so the magnification is 1, meaning the image is the same size as the object. Light isn’t absorbed as the defining feature here; rather, most of it is reflected. And the image isn’t formed by light passing through the mirror; in a typical plane mirror, light is reflected, not transmitted.