Curved Mirrors

Curved mirrors are made when you make part of a sphere reflective.

 Concave Mirror: a “cave-like” mirror in which the reflective surface

bulges away from you.

 Reflective surface

 Convex Mirror: the reflective surface bulges toward you.

 Reflective surface

Curved Mirror Terminology

 Centre of Curvature (C): The point found in the centre of the

“sphere” that would form a curved mirror

 Principle Axis – the line drawn from the centre of curvature to the
mid-point of the curved mirror. Intersects the mirror at a 90۫ angle, so is
the normal of the curved mirror.

 Vertex (V) – the point where the principle axis touches the mirror

 Focus (F) – the point where parallel light rays reflected off a curved
mirror come together