| English | Real image |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Melayu | Imej nyata |
| 中文 | 实像 |
Definition
An image formed where light rays actually meet, which can be captured on a screen.
In exam terms
A real image is an image formed at the place where light rays actually meet after passing through a lens or reflecting from a mirror. Because the rays truly converge there, a real image can be caught on a screen placed at that position.
A converging lens produces a real image whenever the object is placed further from the lens than the focal point. Such an image is always inverted; it may be larger, smaller or the same size as the object depending on the object distance.
Example sentence of correct use: The sharp picture on the cinema screen is a real, inverted, magnified image formed by the projector lens. A real image has no unit; you describe it using distance (m) and magnification.
Do not confuse it with a virtual image
Do not confuse a real image with a virtual image. A virtual image forms where the rays only appear to come from, so it cannot be captured on a screen and is always upright, as seen in a plane mirror.
The clearest test is the screen test: a real image can be projected onto a screen, a virtual image cannot.
In Paper 2 this is usually asked as state the characteristics of the image formed, where you must give three properties: real or virtual, upright or inverted, and magnified, diminished or same size. A ray diagram question may also ask you to mark and label the position of the real image where the two rays cross.
Source: DSKP KSSM Physics Form 4 and 5 (Versi English) (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK), KPM)