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Chapter 10: Problem 8

Name the type of mirror used in the following situations. (a) Headlights of a car. (b) Side/rear-view mirror of a vehicle. (c) Solar furnace. Support your answer with reason.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Car headlights use a concave mirror, side/rear-view mirrors use a convex mirror, and solar furnaces use a concave mirror. This is because concave mirrors focus light and heat, while convex mirrors provide a wider field of view.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Mirror for Car Headlights

The mirror used in car headlights is a concave mirror. Concave mirrors converge light to a focal point, producing a strong, focused beam that illuminates the road ahead effectively.
02

Identify the Mirror for Side/Rear-View Mirrors

The mirror used for side/rear-view mirrors of a vehicle is a convex mirror. Convex mirrors diverge light, offering a wider field of view, which helps drivers see more area behind and beside the vehicle.
03

Identify the Mirror for Solar Furnace

The mirror used in solar furnaces is a concave mirror. Concave mirrors concentrate sunlight to a single point, thus generating a large amount of heat that can be used for various applications.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Concave Mirrors
Concave mirrors are also known as converging mirrors. They have a reflective surface that curves inward, resembling a portion of the inside of a sphere. The primary feature of a concave mirror is that it can converge light rays to a single point known as the focal point. This ability makes them highly useful in many everyday applications.
For example, car headlights use concave mirrors to produce powerful, focused beams that light up the road ahead. In solar furnaces, concave mirrors focus sunlight to one point to generate high temperatures.
Overall, these mirrors are crucial in applications requiring focused light or heat.
Convex Mirrors
Convex mirrors, known as diverging mirrors, have a reflective surface that bulges outward. Due to their shape, they spread out light rays that hit them, providing a wider field of view. This property is incredibly useful for certain applications.
One common use for convex mirrors is in the side or rear-view mirrors of vehicles. Their ability to cover a larger area helps drivers get a broader view of their surroundings, reducing blind spots and enhancing road safety.
They are also used in areas requiring a panoramic view, like hallway intersections in buildings or in certain security devices.
Reflection of Light
Reflection of light is a fundamental concept in understanding how mirrors work. When light rays hit a surface, they bounce back. This bouncing back of light is called reflection. Mirrors, whether concave or convex, use this principle to form images.
The law of reflection states that the angle at which light hits a surface (the angle of incidence) is equal to the angle at which it reflects off the surface (the angle of reflection). This key principle ensures that both concave and convex mirrors function properly.
Regardless of their shape, mirrors rely on high-quality, smooth reflective surfaces to provide clear images by accurately reflecting light.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Which of the following lenses would you prefer to use while reading small letters found in a dictionary? (a) A convex lens of focal length \(50 \mathrm{~cm}\). (b) A concave lens of focal length \(50 \mathrm{~cm}\). (c) A convex lens of focal length \(5 \mathrm{~cm}\). (d) A concave lens of focal length \(5 \mathrm{~cm}\).

An object is placed at a distance of \(10 \mathrm{~cm}\) from a convex mirror of focal length \(15 \mathrm{~cm}\). Find the position and nature of the image.

No matter how far you stand from a mirror, your image appears erect. The mirror is likely to be (a) only plane. (b) only concave. (c) only convex. (d) either plane or convex.

A doctor has prescribed a corrective lens of power \(+1.5 \mathrm{D}\). Find the focal length of the lens. Is the prescribed lens diverging or converging?

The magnification produced by a plane mirror is \(+1 .\) What does this mean?
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