Question

What do you mean by a spherical mirror? Distinguish between a concave mirror and a convex mirror.

Answer 1

Spherical mirror:

1. A spherical mirror is a mirror whose reflecting surface is part of a hollow sphere of glass.
2. The spherical mirrors are of two types: concave mirrors and convex mirrors.

Concave mirror	Convex mirror
It is a spherical mirror whose inner surface (curving inwards) is the reflecting surface and the outer surface (bulging outwards) is polished. When a parallel beam of light falls on this mirror, it converges at a point after reflection. It is also known as a converging mirror. It can form a real or virtual image depending on the position of the object with respect to the mirror.	It is a spherical mirror whose outer surface is the reflecting surface and the inner surface is polished. When a parallel beam of light falls on this mirror, It appears to diverge from a point after reflection. It is also known as a diverging mirror. It always forms a virtual, erect and diminished image of the object irrespective of the position of the object with respect to the mirror.