Concave and Convex Mirrors - small

The Concave Mirror (Creating a Phantom Image)

• Light Behavior: The mirror converges the reflected light rays, bringing them back together to a specific focal point in front of the mirror
• Visual Result: This projects an exact, life-sized, upside-down real image
• Everyday Use: This converging property is utilized in car headlights (to project beams forward) and makeup mirrors (to magnify close-up objects)

The Convex Mirror (Diverging Light)

• Light Behavior: The mirror causes light to disperse or diverge, sending the beams outward away from each other rather than converging
• Visual Result: Because the light rays spread out, they never cross in front of the mirror to project a "real" floating image. Instead, you will see a much smaller and in the same orientation, virtual image that appears to be located behind the mirror
• Everyday Use: This diverging property creates a wider field of view, making convex mirrors ideal for store security and vehicle side-view mirrors (though objects appear farther away)