Question

Name the two types of spherical mirrors. What type of mirror is represented by the:
(a) Back side of a shining steel spoon?
(b) Front side of a shining steel spoon?

Answer 1

Hint:To answer this question you can first state what a mirror is. Discuss about its features in brief and mention its type. Later we can write about the concave and convex spherical mirrors. We will define these in terms of reflecting surfaces, because that is asked in the question.

Complete answer:
A mirror is a reflective surface that reflects light to produce a real or virtual image. When an object is placed in front of a mirror, the object's image is reflected in the mirror. The incident rays are emitted by the object, and the reflected rays create the image. Based on the interaction of light, the images are classified as either authentic or virtual.

There are 2 types of spherical mirrors:
Concave mirror: A mirror is formed when a hollow sphere is divided into parts and the outside surface of each cut portion is painted, with the interior surface reflecting light. A concave mirror is the name for this sort of mirror.

Convex mirror: When the cut half of a hollow sphere is painted from the inside, the outside surface of the spherical becomes the reflecting surface. This sort of mirror is known as a convex mirror.

(a) The back side of the spoon is a convex surface because it has a curved outwards reflecting surface. As a result, it's known as a Convex Mirror.
(b) The spoon's front side has an inwards reflecting curve, making it a concave surface.

Note:Another way to answer this question would be a practical way, just look into the spoon, you will see an inverted image. In most cases the inverted image is formed by concave mirrors. This is because the spoon's rear side is convex, creating a divergent reflection, while the inside, or concave side, produces a convergent reflection. Because the convergent reflection's focus point is so close to the spoon, the light rays cross each other on their route to your eyes, resulting in an inverted image.