A spherical mirror is a mirror that has the shape of a piece cut out of a spherical surface. There are two types of spherical mirrors: concave and convex mirrors. In this article, we will be studying the convex mirror and the type of images formed by it in detail.
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What Is Convex Mirror?
Convex Mirror is a curved mirror where the reflective surface bulges out toward the light source. This bulging-out surface reflects light outwards and is not used to focus light. These mirrors form a virtual image as the focal point (F), and the centre of curvature (2F) are imaginary points in the mirror that cannot be reached. This results in the formation of images that cannot be projected on a screen as the image is inside the mirror. The image looks smaller than the object from a distance but gets larger as the object gets closer to the mirror.
In this diagram, the centre of the original sphere is called the centre of the curvature (C) and the line that passes from the mirror’s surface through the sphere’s centre is called the principal axis. The mirror contains a focal point (F), located along the principal axis, which is the midway between the centre of curvature and the mirror’s surface. Both the centre of curvature and the focal point is located on the side of the mirror opposite the object. As the focal point is located behind the convex mirror, a mirror is said to have a negative focal length value.
Image Formation by Convex mirror
There are two possibilities related to the position of the object in a convex mirror.
- When the object is at infinity
- When object is between infinity and pole
When Object Is at infinity
When the object is at infinity, a point-sized image is formed at principal focus i.e. behind the convex mirror. The image formed is highly diminished, virtual and erect.
When Object Is between infinity and pole
When the object is between infinity and pole of a convex mirror, a diminished, virtual and erect image is formed between pole and focus, i.e. behind the mirror. The image formed is diminished, virtual and erect.
Uses of Convex Mirror
- Convex mirrors are often used in buildings’ hallways, including stores, schools, hospitals, hotels and apartment buildings.
- They are used in driveways, roads, and alleys to provide safety to all the bikers and motorists at curves and turns and other places where there is a lack of visibility.
- They are also used in some automated teller machines as a handy security feature that allows users to see what is happening behind them.
- They are used in the passenger side mirror on a car, and somewhere it is labelled as “ objects in mirror are closer than they appear” to warn the driver.
To learn more about spherical mirrors, watch the video below!
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
What is the radius of curvature?
What is meant by pole of a spherical mirror?
What are the types of spherical mirrors?
Spherical mirrors are classified into:
- Concave Mirror
- Convex Mirror
Which mirror is used in car mirrors?
State TRUE or FALSE: A convex mirror always forms a virtual and erect image.
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