Curved Mirror Images and Their Characteristics

These flashcards cover key concepts related to curved mirrors, including definitions of different types of mirrors and their characteristics.

Concave Mirror

A mirror that curves inward, which can magnify images and focus light to a point.

Convex Mirror

A mirror that bulges outward, providing a wider field of view and creating virtual images that appear smaller.

Plane Mirror

A flat mirror that reflects light rays according to the law of reflection, producing virtual images.

Focal Point (F)

The spot where light rays meet after hitting a mirror or lens.

Focal Length (f)

The distance from the focal point to the mirror.

Principal Axis (PA)

A straight line that passes through the center of the mirror.

Vertex (V)

The point where the principal axis meets the mirror.

Centre of Curvature (C)

The center of the sphere of which the mirror is a part, located at double the focal length.

Virtual Image

An image formed where light rays appear to come from but do not actually converge.

Real Image

An image formed by light rays that converge and can be projected onto a screen.

Lateral Inversion

The reversal of the image from left to right in a mirror image.

Characteristics of Images in Plane Mirrors

Images are virtual, upright, laterally inverted, and the same size as the object.

Ray Diagram

A diagram that shows how light rays reflect off a mirror to form images.