Mirror Ray Tracing

Where does a curved mirror form an image? Trace the principal rays off a concave or convex mirror and watch the image move, flip, and resize.

Mirror Ray TracingLive

concave & convex · mirror equation

Controls

Presets

Trace principal rays off a curved mirror to find the image. Concave mirrors focus and can flip the image; convex mirrors always give a small upright virtual image.

Focal length

Object distance

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Mirrorconcave

Focal length120px

Equation1/v + 1/u = 1/f

Governing equation

\frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{d _{o}} + \frac{1}{d _{i}}, M = - \frac{d _{i}}{d _{o}} = - 1.20 (f = 120, d_{o} = 220)

Reading this result: Object between F and C: the image is real, inverted, and magnified (-1.20×), projected in front of the mirror.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

or unlock everything with Pro →

★ Sign in to save this setup

Save your tuned setup, or drop this simulation into your own site, docs, or course page.

How it works

Using the mirror equation 1/v + 1/u = 1/f, this traces principal rays to find the image. Concave mirrors focus light and can produce real, inverted images; convex mirrors always give a reduced, upright, virtual image — the reason they are used as wide-angle safety mirrors.

✦

Ask the AI about this model

The math, the assumptions, real-world uses, or a code translation — explained for this exact simulation.

More Optics simulations

Snell's Law Diffraction Grating Prism Dispersion

Frequently asked questions

Is this concave convex mirror tool really free?▾

Yes. Mirror Ray Tracing runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.

Do I need to install anything?▾

No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.

Can I save or share my simulation?▾

Create a free account to save projects, and use a shareable embed or minted DOI to publish a live, interactive version anywhere.

How accurate are the results?▾

The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.