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Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
An object is placed at a distance of 30 cm from the pole of a concave mirror. If its real and inverted image is formed at 60 cm in front of the mirror, the focal length of the mirror is :
  1. (A) – 15 cm
  2. (B) – 20 cm
  3. (C) + 20 cm
  4. (D) + 15 cm
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 31/2/1 Q12
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:48 · grounding rag
Model Answer

(B) – 20 cm

Using mirror formula: $u = -30$ cm, $v = -60$ cm (real image, in front of mirror).

$$\frac{1}{f} = \frac{1}{v} + \frac{1}{u} = \frac{1}{-60} + \frac{1}{-30} = \frac{-1-2}{60} = \frac{-3}{60} = \frac{1}{-20}$$

So, $f = -20$ cm.

Explanation

Apply the mirror formula with correct signs (New Cartesian Sign Convention): object and real image both in front of the mirror, so both u and v are negative. A concave mirror always has a negative focal length. Students commonly make sign errors — always assign signs before substituting.

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