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Difficulty: EasyPhysics Fundamentals and Everyday Applications

Rear-view mirrors fitted on the sides of automobiles assist drivers by enabling them to see traffic coming from behind. Which type of mirror is primarily used for this purpose, and why?

  1. Convex mirror, because it forms an erect and diminished image, offering a wider field of viewAnswer
  2. B
    Concave mirror, because it forms a magnified and inverted image of distant objects
  3. C
    Plane mirror, because it forms an enlarged real image behind the driver
  4. D
    Cylindrical mirror, because it focuses light rays onto a single focal line

Answer

Convex mirrors are used as rear-view mirrors in vehicles because they form erect, virtual, and diminished images, providing the driver with a significantly wider field of view.
Convex mirrors curve outward, causing reflected rays of light to spread apart (diverge). This curvature allows them to form erect, virtual, and diminished images for objects at any distance, giving the driver a significantly wider field of view compared to flat or concave mirrors.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the necessary visual features of a vehicle rear-view mirror
The driver requires an upright (erect) view of approaching vehicles that covers a broad physical area.
An inverted image would confuse the driver, and a narrow view would leave dangerous blind spots.
2
Analyze image formation across different mirror types
A convex mirror diverges reflected rays and consistently produces an erect and diminished image regardless of object distance.
Because the images formed are smaller than the actual objects, a larger scene fits into the mirror surface, maximizing the field of view.

Key Concept

Everyday applications of curved mirrors and image formation by convex mirrors
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Topics

Physics Fundamentals and Everyday Applications

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