If a number of images of a candle flame are seen in a thick mirror, then

Options

A. The first image is the brightest
B. The second image is the brightest
C. The last image is the brightest
D. The image are equally bright

Answer

To solve the problem of determining which image of a candle flame seen in a thick mirror is the brightest, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Setup**:
- We have a thick mirror and a candle flame placed in front of it. The thick mirror will reflect light from the candle flame and create multiple images due to the reflections occurring within the mirror.

2. **Identifying the Images**:
- The first image (Image 1) is formed by the first reflection of the candle flame off the surface of the mirror.
- The second image (Image 2) is formed by the reflection of the first image back into the mirror.

3. **Analyzing Image Brightness**:
- The brightness of an image depends on the intensity of light that reaches the observer. In this case, the intensity of light decreases with each subsequent reflection.
- The first image will have the highest intensity because it is a direct reflection of the candle flame. However, since the mirror is thick, the intensity of this image will be less than that of a thin mirror.

4. **Calculating Intensity**:
- The reflection from the mirror is typically very efficient. For this problem, we assume that the mirror reflects 98% of the light (intensity) and allows 2% to be refracted.
- Therefore, the intensity of the first image (Image 1) will be approximately 2% of the original intensity of the candle flame.
- The second image (Image 2), which is formed after one reflection, will retain about 98% of the intensity from the first image.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Since Image 2 has a higher intensity (98% of the original intensity) compared to Image 1 (which has only 2% of the original intensity), Image 2 is the brightest image observed.

### Final Answer:
The second image of the candle flame seen in the thick mirror is the brightest.

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