Sign Conventions for Spherical Mirrors
- Usually, if the object is located on the left side of the principal axis from the mirror then the object distance is taken negatively.
- While if it is located on the right side it is taken to be positive.
- The sign of focal length depends on the type of mirror we are using, as for the concave mirror it is negative and for the convex mirror on the other hand is positive always.
- It is to be mentioned again that we have to follow the sign conventions strictly to get the correct answer.
- Heights which are above the principal axis are positive and below are negative.
Concave and Convex Mirrors
Mirrors are surfaces that reflect almost all types of incident light rays that hit their surface. The mirror can have either a plane or a curved surface. On this basis, mirrors are divided into two: Spherical Mirrors and Plane Mirrors. Plane mirrors simply mirror having plain and polished reflecting surfaces while Spherical mirrors have curved reflecting surfaces. Based on the curved reflecting surface spherical mirrors are further divided into two: Concave and Convex Mirrors.
In concave mirrors, the reflection takes place from the inner surface of the spherical mirror. The image formed by the concave mirrors is real and inverted. However, in the case of convex mirrors, the reflection takes place from the outer surface of the spherical mirror. The image formed by the convex mirrors is virtual and erect.
Table of contents
- Definition
- Types of Mirror
- Plane Mirror
- Spherical Mirror
- Important Terms of Spherical Mirror
- Type of Spherical Mirror
- Concave Mirror
- Convex Mirror
- Mirror Formula
- Sign Convention for Spherical Mirror
- Solved Examples
- Faqs