Types of Mirrors
There are generally three types of mirrors in optics:
- Plane Mirrors
- Concave Mirrors
- Convex Mirrors
Let’s discuss these types in detail as follows:
Plane Mirror
A plane mirror is a type of mirror with a flat, reflective surface. Unlike concave mirrors, which have a curved inward reflective surface, plane mirrors have a completely flat reflective side. Plane mirrors do not have a focal point, and they do not converge or diverge incident rays of light.
Features of Plane Mirror
- The reflective surface is flat.
- Plane mirrors do not have a focal point.
- They produce virtual images that are the same size as the object and appear to be located behind the mirror. Plane Mirror Produce lateral inverted images.
- Commonly used in everyday items like bathroom mirrors, dressing mirrors, and rearview mirrors in vehicles.
Concave Mirror
A concave mirror is a mirror with a curved inward reflective surface, meaning the reflective side is facing inward. The centre of the mirror’s curvature is known as the focal point (F). Concave mirrors are converging mirrors, which means they can focus parallel incident rays of light onto a single point, called the focal point.
Features of Concave Mirror
- The reflective surface curves inward.
- The focal point is located on the same side as the mirror’s reflective surface.
- It can form real or virtual images, depending on the object’s position relative to the focal point.
- Used in applications such as reflecting telescopes, makeup mirrors, and headlights in vehicles.
Convex Mirror
A convex mirror is a mirror with a curved outward reflective surface, meaning the reflective side is facing outward. The centre of curvature is also the focal point, but in convex mirrors, the focal point is on the opposite side of the reflective surface.
Features of Convex Mirror
- Reflective surface curves outward.
- The focal point is located on the opposite side of the mirror’s reflective surface.
- It always forms virtual images, which are reduced in size compared to the actual object.
- Used in applications like security mirrors in stores and parking lots, side-view mirrors on vehicles, and some outdoor traffic mirrors.
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Mirror Equation
Mirror Equation in Physics is the equation for mirrors that provides the relation between the distance of the object and the image, as well as its focal length. Mirror Equation is helpful in determining object position, image position or focal length given that two of the parameters are given. In optics, which is the branch of science that deals with the study of light and its interactions with various materials and optical elements, mirrors are used in various instruments for various purposes. Thus, understanding the relationship between the focal length of the mirror and the distance between the object and the image from the mirror is very important.
In this article, we will explore the concept of the Mirror Equation in detail, Mirror Equation Proof, and Mirror Equation for Magnification with various types of mirrors as well. So, let’s start learning about the concept of Mirror Equations.
Table of Content
- What is Mirror in Optics?
- What is Mirror Equation?
- Sign Convention for Mirror Equation
- Types of Mirrors
- Applications Of Mirror Equation