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Convex Mirror - Uses, Applications, Types, FAQs

Convex Mirror - Uses, Applications, Types, FAQs

Vishal kumarUpdated on 02 Jul 2025, 05:09 PM IST

Mirrors

An object that reflects all the light falling on its surface is called as a mirror, it is used to produce images of an object. Mirrors have varied application even in our day to day life.
The mirror have a special property called lateral inversion where the left side of the object is reflected to produce a left-right inverted image. You may have seen Ambulance written in a different way in front of an ambulance , it is done so that when a person in front of the ambulance in his rear view mirror can read the word Ambulance written on it directly by applying the property of lateral inversion.

Mirrors are often made by polishing a naturally reflective material like speculum metal or adding a reflective coating to a sufficiently polished substrate.

Mirrors are often used for

  • personal grooming
  • As rear-view mirrors in vehicles
  • Dentist uses as a magnifying factor for treatments
  • Decoration purposes
  • It is often used in making telescopes, camera lens etc

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There are different types of mirrors based on the shape and each one have different properties

Commonly Asked Questions

Q: How does the law of reflection apply to convex mirrors?
A:
The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, and this fundamental principle applies to convex mirrors just as it does to plane mirrors. However, in convex mirrors:
Q: Why are convex mirrors used in vehicle side mirrors?
A:
Convex mirrors are used in vehicle side mirrors because they provide a wider field of view, allowing drivers to see more of their surroundings. This increased visibility helps reduce blind spots and improves safety when changing lanes or maneuvering in tight spaces. The "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" warning is necessary because the convex surface makes objects look smaller and farther away than they actually are.

Types of mirrors

Commonly Asked Questions

Q: What is a convex mirror?
A:
A convex mirror is a curved mirror with its reflective surface bulging outward. It reflects light rays in a way that makes objects appear smaller and farther away than they actually are. The curved surface causes light rays to diverge after reflection, creating a wider field of view compared to flat mirrors.
Q: Why do convex mirrors always produce virtual images?
A:
Convex mirrors always produce virtual images because the reflected light rays diverge after hitting the mirror's surface. These diverging rays never intersect in front of the mirror, so the image appears to be behind the mirror's surface. Our brain interprets these diverging rays as coming from a virtual image behind the mirror.
Q: How does the image size in a convex mirror compare to the object size?
A:
The image formed by a convex mirror is always smaller than the object. This is because the curved surface of the mirror causes the reflected light rays to diverge, creating a compressed version of the object's image. The further the object is from the mirror, the smaller its image appears.
Q: What is meant by the "field of view" of a convex mirror?
A:
The field of view refers to the extent of the observable area that can be seen in a mirror at any given time. Convex mirrors have a wider field of view compared to flat mirrors because their curved surface allows them to reflect light from a larger area. This property makes them useful in situations where a broader view is necessary, such as in vehicle side mirrors or security cameras.
Q: How does the distance of an object affect its image in a convex mirror?
A:
As an object moves farther from a convex mirror, its image becomes smaller and appears to move closer to the focal point behind the mirror. However, the image will always remain between the focal point and the mirror's surface, regardless of the object's distance. This property ensures that convex mirrors always provide a compressed view of a wide area.

Types of mirrors

Convex mirror – it is spherical mirror that is curved whose curve is bulged outside and the surface that is bulged out is used as the mirror, it enlarges the image of the object and is used as magnifying purposes like as shaving mirror.

Plane mirror – its surface fill be plane and it donot magnify the image that is the image and the real size of the object will be in proportion . it is usually used as mirrors for personal grooming used in bedrooms and bathrooms.

Concave mirror – it is the type of spherical mirror where the reflecting surface of the mirror is bend inwards and it covers a large image into the small area of the mirror that is it shrinks the image.

In this article we look more about convex mirror

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Convex mirrors

Convex mirrors or Convex spherical mirror is defined as a spherical mirror having a reflecting surface away from the centre of the sphere by which the mirror is taken from.

Convex mirror is also known as diverging mirrors because it reflects the light from far away objects and is virtually focused at the focus.

Convex mirrors

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Principal focus – When the convex mirror is faced to light beams coming from infinity or far away, the point from which the reflected light beams appears to come from after the reflection is called the principal focus of the convex mirror.

Focal length – The distance between principal focus along with pole of mirror is called focal length of the mirror.

f = R2

f – focal length of the mirror

R – Radius of curvature of the convex mirror

Image formed by the convex mirror

Image formed by the convex mirror

NCERT Physics Notes :

If the object is near the convex mirror, the image will be formed between the focus and the centre of the mirror (the point at which the principal axis meets the mirror), the image formed will be diminished in nature but it will be erect image , also the image formed is virtual meaning that the formed image cannot be pictured on a screen.

the object is near the convex mirror, the image will be formed between the focus and the centre of the mirror

If the object is in infinity then the image will be formed at the focus and the image will be point sized and the image will be virtual and erect. here whatever be the size of the object , the image will be point sized here also it is virtual image hence it cannot be made to project on a screen.

the object is in infinity then the image will be formed at the focus

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The applications of a convex mirror

  1. Passenger-side rear view mirror in vehicles is usually convex mirrors because of its property of producing erect image , even if the view of the field is reduced, the image will be upright whereas if we use the concave mirror as a rear view mirror, the area of visibility will be large but the images will be upside down and reduced in size. You might have noticed that in the rear view mirrors it is written the objects are closer than they appear it is due to this magnifying property of the mirror

side rear view mirror

  1. The blind spots at the junctions and large turns are covered by putting there a large convex mirror, it provides a good view of the vehicles approaching from the other non visible edge

large convex mirror

  1. It is used in large factories during the working of large machines to get the view of the production from different angles and hence to increase productivity by knowing the faults in the production and the products.
  1. In sunglasses the principle of convex mirror is used to prevent highly intense sunlight from hurting the eyes as they reflect the sunrays

Sunglasses

  1. These type of mirrors are used as street light reflectors. The top portion of a streetlight is made of the convex mirror as it has this property to diverge light, so that the produced light can be spread over a wide angle.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How do convex mirrors affect the apparent speed of approaching objects?
A:
Convex mirrors affect the apparent speed of approaching objects in several ways:
Q: What is the relationship between a convex mirror's focal length and its radius of curvature?
A:
In a convex mirror, the focal length (f) is always equal to half the radius of curvature (R). This relationship can be expressed mathematically as f = R/2. This means:
Q: How do convex mirrors compare to fisheye lenses in terms of image distortion?
A:
Convex mirrors and fisheye lenses both create wide-angle views with similar types of distortion, but there are key differences:
Q: What role do convex mirrors play in optical instruments?
A:
Convex mirrors play several important roles in optical instruments:
Q: Why are convex mirrors preferred over plane mirrors for wide-angle viewing?
A:
Convex mirrors are preferred over plane mirrors for wide-angle viewing because:
Q: How do convex mirrors affect the perception of depth and distance?
A:
Convex mirrors affect the perception of depth and distance in several ways:
Q: How does the image orientation in a convex mirror compare to that in a plane mirror?
A:
Both convex and plane mirrors produce upright images. However, convex mirrors create a more compressed, smaller image due to their curved surface. In contrast, plane mirrors produce images that are the same size as the object. The key difference is that convex mirrors offer a wider field of view, allowing you to see more of your surroundings in a single glance compared to a plane mirror of the same size.
Q: Can convex mirrors be used to focus light like concave mirrors?
A:
No, convex mirrors cannot focus light like concave mirrors. While concave mirrors can converge parallel light rays to a focal point, convex mirrors always diverge light rays. This divergence means that convex mirrors spread light out rather than concentrating it. As a result, convex mirrors are not used in applications that require focusing light, such as in telescopes or satellite dishes, where concave mirrors are preferred.
Q: What is the relationship between a convex mirror's aperture and its field of view?
A:
The aperture of a convex mirror, which is the size of its reflective surface, is directly related to its field of view. A larger aperture allows the mirror to capture and reflect light from a wider area, resulting in a broader field of view. However, increasing the aperture without changing the mirror's curvature will not affect the size or distortion of the image. It simply allows more of the surrounding area to be visible in the mirror.
Q: How do convex mirrors contribute to road safety?
A:
Convex mirrors significantly enhance road safety by providing drivers with a wider field of view, particularly in areas with limited visibility. They are commonly used in:
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