Formula for Spherical Mirrors 

Spherical mirrors have an uniform curve and constant radius of curvature, they provide a virtual or actual picture. It is divided into two varieties based on the surface painting of the spherical mirror:

Concave Mirror: Concave mirrors are created when the outer surface of a spherical mirror is painted.

Convex Mirror: Convex mirrors are created when the inside surface of a spherical mirror is painted.

 Mirrors are divided into two types: spherical and flat mirrors. When an object is placed in front of a mirror, the light bounces off it, creating either a real or a virtual picture of the thing.

Concave and Convex Mirror

Mirrors come in two types: concave and convex. Mirrors are smooth, polished, or dazzling surfaces. By reflecting the light beam, they create images. The two types of mirrors are plane and spherical mirrors. Convex and concave mirrors are two types of spherical mirrors. To tell the difference between a Concave and a Convex Mirror, you must first know what they are. Convex mirrors have an outwardly bulging reflecting surface, and concave mirrors have an inwardly bulging reflecting surface. To put it another way, convex mirrors create smaller pictures whereas concave mirrors create larger ones.

Concave Mirror

A concave mirror is one that has the inside surface of a spherical mirror reflecting and the outer surface painted.

The following are the qualities of a concave mirror:

Because they converge light to a single focal point, concave mirrors are also known as converging mirrors.

A magnified or virtual image is generated when the object is put very close to the concave mirror.

When an object is put far away from a mirror, the size of the picture shrinks, resulting in a genuine image.

Image Formation by Concave Mirror

In a concave mirror, different types of images are created depending on the distance between the mirror and the object. The object can be placed in one of the following ways:

1. When the object is positioned at an indefinite distance
2. When the object is placed outside of the curvature’s centre
3. When the object is perfectly centred on the curve
4. When the object is positioned between the principal focus and the curvature’s centre
5. When the object is in the centre of attention
6. When an object is positioned between the pole and the primary focus.

Uses of Concave Mirror

The following are some of the applications for concave mirrors:

Torches, car headlights, flashlights, and searchlights all use concave mirrors.

Concave mirrors are used in shaving mirrors to see a larger image of the face.

Concave mirrors are also used by dentists to see a larger image of the patient’s teeth.

Large concave mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight in solar furnaces to produce heat.

Convex Mirror

A convex mirror is one in which the outer surface of a spherical mirror is reflecting while the inside surface is painted.

Convex Mirror Characteristics

The following are the characteristics of convex mirrors:

Because they reflect light outwards, convex mirrors are also known as diverging mirrors.

They don’t focus light on a single focal point.

The convex mirror always generates virtual, reduced, and erect pictures, regardless of the distance between the item and the mirror.

Image Formation by Convex Mirror

Convex mirrors always produce a virtual and upright image. The following are the several sorts of object placement in a convex mirror:

 When a thing is put at infinity, it is said to be infinite.

 When an object is put between the pole and infinity, it is said to be between the pole and infinity.

mirror formula for convex mirror

 here v is the image distance ,u is the object distance and f is the focal length.

Uses of Convex Mirror

The following are some of the applications of the convex mirror:

Convex mirrors are commonly used in vehicles as rear-view (wing) mirrors.

Convex mirrors are typically seen on the sides of automobiles, allowing the driver to view traffic or vehicles approaching from behind.

We can see a considerably greater area or object in a convex mirror than we can in a plane mirror.

The mirror formula for spherical mirrors

The relationship between object distance, image distance, and the focal length of a spherical mirror is explained by the spherical mirror formula. The object distance, marked by the letter u, is the distance between the object and the pole of the mirror, whereas the image distance, denoted by the letter v is the distance between the image and the pole of the mirror. The focal length f is the distance between the primary focus and the mirror’s pole. The spherical mirror formula, which is provided by: is the expression that gives us the relationship between these three quantities.

For any potential position of the item, the mirror formula applies to all spherical mirrors.

Conclusion

Spherical mirrors have an uniform curve and constant radius of curvature, they provide a virtual or actual picture. Concave mirrors are created when the outer surface of a spherical mirror is painted.

Convex mirrors are created when the inside surface of a spherical mirror is painted. Mirrors are smooth, polished, or dazzling surfaces. By reflecting the light beam, they create images. The two types of mirrors are plane and spherical mirrors. Convex and concave mirrors are two types of spherical mirrors. A convex mirror is one in which the outer surface of a spherical mirror is reflecting while the inside surface is painted. A concave mirror is one that has the inside surface of a spherical mirror reflecting and the outer surface painted.