Mirrors and Reflection

How do convex and concave mirrors work? Can u give me a diagram too? With information on normals and reflection?
- Dazis (age 13)
highfield school,

There are a couple simple rules that you can use to help understand mirrors. First of all, each curved mirror will have a special point called the focal point or focus. Any ray of light that goes into the mirror parallel to the center will go out through the focus. Likewise, any ray of light that goes through the focus and hits the mirror will bounce back parallel to the center.

Here's a little picture to help see the rays of light.



Here's a good website that has some additional diagrams and tutorials that might help with this subject:


We have also answered a similar question in the past...have a look .

Adam

(published on 10/22/2007)