Question

Where is the object located if the image that is produced by a concave mirror is smaller than the object?

Answer 1

The object is outside of the center of curvature.

This diagram should help:

What you see here are the red arrows, indicating the positions of the object in front of the concave mirror. The positions of the images produced are shown in blue.

• When the object is outside of C, the image is smaller than the object, inverted, and between F and C. (moves closer to C as the object moves closer to C) This is a real image.
• When the object is at C, the image is the same size as the object, inverted, and at C. This is a real image.
• When the object is between C and F, the image is larger than the object, inverted, and outside of C. This is a real image.
• When the object is at F, no image is formed because the light rays are parallel and never converge to form an image. This is a real image.
• When the object is inside of F, the image is larger than the object, upright, and located behind the mirror (it is virtual).