Question

Which type of mirror is used in a solar furnace and support your answer.

Answer 1

1. Concave mirrors are used in solar furnaces because concave mirrors are the only type of mirror that converse the light to a single focal point.
2. A flat mirror does not have a focal point. It does regular reflection on all of its points.
3. A convex mirror does have a focal point, but it is an imaginary point that exists behind the mirrored surface.
4. The concave mirror takes all light that strikes its surface and reflects it all "down and in" toward the focal point. The collected light at the focal point is very powerful. It is bright and carries a lot of thermal energy, which is the goal of a solar furnace.
5. It's basically the equivalent of taking a magnifying glass to burn ants. The difference is that the magnifying glass is a lens instead of a mirror, but both devices collect light and gather it into a single point.