Curved Mirrors
Curved Mirrors
Curved mirrors come in two general shapes: concave and convex. In this topic, you will learn why curved mirrors form the types of images that that you see in the pictures.
In this course you will be looking at how mirrors that have spherical surfaces form images.
When the inside of the sphere is used as the reflecting surface, it is called a concave mirror. Shaving and makeup mirrors are concave mirrors.
When the outside of the sphere is used as the reflecting surface like the picture at right, it is called a convex mirror. Security mirrors in stores are convex and the side view mirror on your car is convex.
Examine the image to the right of a security mirror. Notice that the images you see in the convex mirror are smaller than the objects. This would allow for a more comprehensive view of a larger area.
Learn how images are formed for concave and convex mirrors by viewing this presentation on curved mirrors. Click the player to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
Click the simulation, Lenses and Mirrors, to explore curved mirrors. Make sure that you also use the PDF file, Exploring Curved Mirrors, to guide you through this activity.
This interactivity is use with permission from The Physics Classroom.
Curved Mirrors Practice
As you draw your diagrams, you will record the characteristics of each image in the table at the bottom of this handout. This will become your study guide for this topic. Please open the handout prior to clicking into the presentation to the left.