Flash Cards: Light: Mirrors and Lenses

A spherical mirror is shaped like part of a hollow glass sphere and can be either concave or convex.

A concave mirror has a reflecting surface that curves inward, causing light rays to converge.

When an object is close, a concave mirror produces an erect and enlarged image.

A convex mirror always produces an erect and diminished image regardless of the object's distance.

The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection; both angles are measured from the normal.

The normal line is an imaginary line perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of incidence.

Images in plane mirrors are erect, of the same size as the object, and laterally inverted.

Concave mirrors can produce larger or smaller images depending on the object's distance, while convex mirrors always produce smaller images.

Concave mirrors are used in shaving mirrors and reflecting telescopes because they converge light.

Convex mirrors provide a wider field of view and help reduce blind spots for vehicle drivers.

A lens is a piece of transparent material with curved surfaces that refracts light.

A convex lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges and converges light rays.

A concave lens is thicker at the edges than in the middle and diverges light rays.

A convex lens produces an erect and enlarged image when the object is close; it becomes inverted at greater distances.

A concave lens always produces an erect and diminished image, regardless of the object's distance.

A diverging lens (concave) spreads light rays apart, while a converging lens (convex) brings light rays together.

Convex lenses are used in cameras, magnifying glasses, and eye glasses to correct vision.

Avoid direct sunlight reflection; the focused light can ignite materials.