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ERIC Number: EJ1228862
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Nov
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Road Mirage Angle
Ruiz, Michael J.
Physics Education, v54 n6 Article 065009 Nov 2019
A video is taken of a road-sign mirage from the passenger seat in a car traveling at constant speed on a highway. The video spans the duration of seeing the mirage of the sign, viewing the vanishing of the mirage as the car approaches, and passing the road sign. The mirage angle, defined as the angle with respect to the horizontal at the moment the observer notes the vanishing of the mirage, can be determined from the video, the speed of the car, and known dimensions of the standard road sign. The value can be checked with a theoretical formula using the ambient weather temperament and consulting references to determine the temperature of the air in contact with the road surface. Agreement between observation and theory is within the error bounds. In the conclusion, a quick observational estimate is made in the car without needing the video.
IOP Publishing. 190 North Independence Mall West Suite 601, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: ped@ioppublishing.org; Web site: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0031-9120
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A