Images in Curved Mirrors

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and definitions related to images in curved mirrors, specifically focusing on concave and convex mirrors.

Concave Mirror

A mirror shaped like part of the surface of a sphere in which the inner surface is reflective.

Convex Mirror

A mirror shaped like part of the surface of a sphere in which the outer surface is reflective.

Center of Curvature

The center of the sphere whose surface has been used to make the mirror.

Principal Axis

The line through the center of curvature to the midpoint of the mirror.

Vertex

The point where the principal axis meets the mirror.

Focus

The point at which light rays parallel to the principal axis converge when reflected off a concave mirror.

Real Image

An image that can be seen on a screen as a result of light rays actually arriving at the image location.

Virtual Image

An image that cannot be projected onto a screen because reflected rays do not converge; appears behind the mirror.

Spherical Aberration

An effect where parallel rays reflecting off a spherical surface do not all go through a single point.

Reversibility of Light

The principle stating that light will follow the same path regardless of the direction it travels, as long as the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.