What type of image is perceived to be behind a plane mirror?

A virtual image is perceived to be behind a plane mirror because it is formed by the reflection of light rays that appear to diverge from a point behind the mirror. When you stand in front of a plane mirror, light rays reflecting off your body hit the mirror and bounce back, creating the illusion that your image exists behind the surface of the mirror at a distance equal to the distance you are from the mirror. This image cannot be projected onto a screen since it does not have a physical presence; it only appears to be there due to the way the light is reflected.

In contrast, a real image is formed when light rays converge at a point, allowing it to be projected onto a screen. Reflective images and projected images are not formal terms used in optics in the same way as real and virtual images, and typically do not convey the precise nature of the image associated with a plane mirror. Therefore, the correct identification of the image seen in a plane mirror as a virtual image is grounded in the principles of geometric optics and the behavior of light reflection.