Mirrors in Geometric Optics

In geometric optics, mirrors are essential components that play a crucial role in reflecting light rays. They come in two primary types: concave mirrors and convex mirrors. There are two types of mirrors we have to study in geometric optics

Plane Mirrors
Spherical Mirrors

Plane Mirrors

Plane mirror is a flat reflecting surface.
When light from the source strikes a plane mirror, we observe that the light is reflected at an angle equal to the incident angle.
Any object for instance will be seen as flipped with respect to left and right in the reflected image through the plane mirror.
In the plane mirror the factors like size and distance of the reflection take the values just the same as the object’s.
You may use flat mirrors like the ones in home or car mirrors as well as in periscopes. Similarly, you can undertake lots of science experiments that use flat mirrors.
Unlike the rest of the mirrors, plane mirrors don’t tend to either enlarge or, on the contrary, shrink the objects.

Spherical Mirror

Spherical mirrors have a rounded reflective surface, either curving inward (concave) or outward (convex).
They’re used in optical gadgets like telescopes, microscopes, and makeup mirrors.
The focal length of a spherical mirror is half its radius of curvature.
Sometimes, spherical aberration occurs, causing image distortion away from the center.
The center of curvature is where the mirror’s curve would continue to form a full sphere, and the focal point is halfway between this center and the mirror.
Diagrams with rays are often used to understand how light behaves when reflected by spherical mirrors.

Spherical mirrors are of two types

Concave Mirror
Convex Mirror

Concave Mirrors

Concave mirrors are a kind of curvature where the surface is curved inward, like the inner surface of a sphere.
The rays of light in this phenomenon are reflected in mirrors with a reflective surface that bulges inward, as the result it causes parallel light rays to converge at a focal point after reflection.
Concave mirrors are mainly used in applications that require focusing light, like in a telescope, the mirror used for shaving, and the automobile headlights.
The image formed by a concave mirror could be either virtual or real depending on how adjacent to its focus the object is positioned.

Convex Mirrors

The shape of a convex mirror is an arc, and looks like a ball rising upwards.
They deflect light at the angle described by the law of reflection
Concave mirrors are commonly applied to systems having a wide field of view which includes: rearview mirrors in vehicles, surveillance cameras or even decorative mirrors.
Virtual (virtual), diminished, and erect images, which are the types of images produced by convex mirrors

Learn, Concave and Convex Mirrors

Geometric Optics

Geometric optics is a branch of optics that focuses on the study of light as rays, without considering its wave nature. It deals with the behavior of light when it interacts with surfaces and boundaries, particularly in terms of reflection and refraction. Geometric optics is primarily concerned with the formation of images by optical elements such as lenses and mirrors and the principles governing their behavior.

In this article, we will learn in detail about geometric optics, optical instruments based on geometric optics, formulas and examples.

Table of Content

What is Geometric Optics
Laws of Geometric Optics
Mirrors in Geometric Optics
Lenses in Geometric Optics
Ray Tracing in Geometric Optics
Geometric Optics Formula