What is a virtual image?

A virtual image is an image that appears to be located at a position from which light rays appear to come but do not actually originate from that position. It is an image that cannot be projected onto a screen because the light rays do not actually converge at the position of the image.

One situation where a virtual image is formed is when we look at ourselves in a flat or a concave mirror. In this case, the light rays from our face reflect off the mirror and appear to come from behind the mirror. Our brain traces these rays back to the apparent position of the image, which is behind the mirror, and perceives a virtual image of ourselves.