Courtesy of Shanghai Optics Inc
Mirrors come in different shapes and sizes, with plane and curved surfaces dictating their reflective properties. Understanding the characteristics of concave and convex mirrors is essential in grasping their diverse applications and optical behavior.
Fundamental Terminology
Before delving into the intricacies of concave and convex mirrors, let’s familiarize ourselves with key terms:
- Pole (P): The central point on a mirror’s surface, located on the principal axis.
- Center of Curvature (C): The point on the principal axis with identical tangent and curvature to the mirror’s surface.
- Radius of Curvature (R): The distance from the pole to the center of curvature.
- Principal Axis: An imaginary line passing through the center of curvature and the pole.
- Principal Focus (F): The point where parallel light rays converge (for concave mirrors) or diverge (for convex mirrors).
- Aperture: The diameter of the mirror’s reflective surface.
Types of Spherical Mirrors
Spherical mirrors are categorized into concave and convex mirrors based on their reflective surface curvature.