Question

Question #0d894

Answer 1

The magnification `m` (as due to a mirror or lens) is given by:

`m=h_i/h_o=-d_i/d_o`

where `h_i` is the height of the produced image, `h_o` is the height of the original object, `d_i` is the distance from the mirror to the image, and `d_o` is the distance from the mirror to the object

Therefore, the only way to obtain a magnification with zero in the denominator is if your object distance or object height is also zero. Neither of these situations are plausible, so you shouldn't have to worry about it! You will mostly likely deal with magnification values which are either positive or negative.