Various Light
Phenomenon
(Concave and
Convex Mirror)
i me! !
v i ew T
Re
Activity 1.
Lights, Camera,
Action!
Match the vocabulary words in
column A with the given definitions in
column B. Write your answers in a one
fourth size sheet of paper and that will
serve as your attendance of the day.
B
K
C
A
E
J
D
F
H
G
We all know that light is a type of energy that
makes it possible for us to see the world
around us. We need light to see. When light
reaches an object, different things can
happen: Light can be absorbed, reflected, or
transmitted through the object. Generally, a
combination of these takes place. And here
are some phenomena which we are going to
shed light on.
Are you fascinated seeing your image in
mirrors? You delight to see your image even
in pictures making the Philippines a
foremost selfie country in the world. Let us
have another activity to show appreciate
how light is reflected on convex and
concave surfaces by using a metal spoon.
Activity 2. LIGHT
through a SPOON
Materials:
1. Silver or metal spoon
2. Make up mirror or any mirror
use
at home
Procedure:
1. Try looking at a silver or metal
spoon. Observe your image
using
the inside portion of the spoon
as
2. Try looking at yourself through a
makeup mirror or any mirror at
home.
3. Consider the following questions:
A. What do you see?
B. What are your observations?
C. What image did you observe
inside portion of the spoon?
D. How about outside the spoon?
E. How about in your make up
mirror?
CONCAVE AND
CONVEX MIRROR
Unlike light rays hitting a flat mirror,
parallel light rays reflecting off a curved
mirror do not move in the same direction. A
convex mirror is curved outward, like the
bottom of a spoon. In a convex mirror,
parallel light rays move away from each
other, as you can see in the diagram below
A concave mirror is
curved inward toward
the center, like the inside
of a spoon. Parallel light
rays reflecting off a
concave mirror move
toward each other.
A mirror is a surface that reflects a clear image.
Images can be of two types: real image and virtual
image. An image that can be formed on the screen
is known as a real image and the one which cannot
be formed on the screen is known as a virtual
image. These images are formed when light falls on
a mirror from the object and is reflected by the
mirror on the screen.
There can be two types of mirror:
plane mirror and curved or spherical
mirror. The image formed by a plane
mirror is always a virtual image as it
cannot be obtained on a screen. If a
curved mirror is a part of a sphere then it
is known as a spherical mirror.
Spherical mirrors are
the mirrors having
curved surfaces that
are painted on one of
the sides. The image
formed by the
spherical mirror can
be either real or
virtual. There are two
Spherical mirrors in
which inward
surfaces are painted
are known as convex
mirrors, while the
spherical mirrors in
which outward
surfaces are painted
are known as concave
CONCAVE
MIRROR
Light converges at a point when it strikes
and reflects back from the reflecting surface of
the concave mirror. Hence, it is also known as
a converging mirror. When the concave
mirror is placed very close to the object,
a magnified and virtual image is
obtained. However, if we increase the
distance between the object and the mirror
then the size of the image reduces and a
real image is formed. So, the image formed
by the concave mirror can be small or
Examples:
1. Headlights
2. Shaving mirrors
3. Head mirrors used by doctors to have a clearer view
of
eyes, noses, and ears
4. Dental mirrors used by dentists
5. Ophthalmoscope
6. Astronomical telescopes
7. Microscopes
CONVEX
MIRROR
If the other cut part of the hollow sphere is
painted from inside, then its outer surface
becomes the reflecting surface. This kind of
mirror is known as a convex mirror. A convex
mirror is also known as a diverging mirror as
this mirror diverges light when they strike on its
reflecting surface. Virtual, erect, and
diminished images are always formed with
convex mirrors, irrespective of the distance
between the object and the mirror. Apart
from other applications, the convex mirror is
Examples of convex mirrors:
1. Car Side Mirrors: Convex mirrors are commonly
used in car side mirrors to provide a wider field of
view, reducing blind spots.
2. Security Mirrors: Convex mirrors are employed in
security and
surveillance applications, allowing a broad
perspective to
monitor areas.
3. Rearview Mirrors: Some types of rearview mirrors in
vehicles
are convex, offering a wider view of the road behind.
4. Roadway Safety Mirrors: Convex mirrors are
Key Points:
• The image formed by a
plane mirror is erect. It is
virtual and is of the same size
as the
object. The image is at the
same distance behind the
mirror as the object is in
front of it.
Key Points:
• In an image formed by a
mirror, the left side of the object
is seen on the right side in the
image, and right side of the
object appears to be on the left
side in the image.
Key Points:
• A concave mirror can form a
real and inverted image.
When the object is placed very
close to the mirror, the image
formed is virtual, erect and
magnified
Let’s apply what
you learned
Based on the activity, complete the table
below:
upright, magnified
and virtual concave mirror
virtual, upright,
and smaller convex mirror
image of an
object
upright, magnified
and virtual
concave mirror
Let’s measure what
have
you learned by
answering
the given questions.
Read each item carefully and write the correct
letter of your choice.
1. What type of mirror converges the light
rays at a particular point in front of it?
B a. Curved mirror
b. Concave mirror
c. Convex mirror
d. Plane mirror
2. Which of the following is a characteristic of
an
A image formed by a concave mirror, if the
object is located far from the mirror?
a. The image is smaller than an object.
b. The image is larger than the object.
c. The image has the same size as the
object.
d. The image formed is upright.
3. Which of the following is a characteristic
of an image formed by a convex mirror?
a. It has the same size as the object.
C b. It is a real image.
c. It is smaller than the object.
d. It is larger than the object.
4. What type of mirror tends to scatter and
diverge the light rays from a point on the
D other side of the reflecting surface?
a. Concave mirror c. Curved mirror
5. Which of the following statements describes
the reason why plane mirrors produce an
exact
replica of the object in front of it?
A a. The reflected light waves are parallel
rays.
b. The reflected light waves diverge at a
specific point.
c. The reflected light waves converge at a
specific point.
Let’s enhance your
knowledge by doing
Your assignment at home
Answer the following:
Supermarkets and department stores use a
mirror usually placed high at the corner inside
the establishment. What type of mirror is used
by these establishments? How does it help
in security monitoring?
Convex mirrors are usually utilized as security
mirrors. Convex mirrors always produce smaller
images no matter where the object is positioned from
it. One advantage of these types
of mirrors in security monitoring is that it can cover/
monitor a relatively wide area even if the images
produced are smaller than the original object
“Man and science are two
concave mirrors continually
reflecting each other.”
— Alexander
Herzen
k y o u
n
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T h a
