Physics 20 Resources

home button
light button
optics button
waves button
sound button
heat button
faq button
credits button
 

 

Security & Safety

 

1. Security mirrors

  • Stores use convex mirrors to provide a wide field of view for security.
  • Convex mirrors always produce virtual, upright, and smaller images.

..........picture of convex mirror in library
..........convex mirror in library

 

2. Rear view mirrors

  • Some cars, buses, and trucks use convex mirrors on one of the rear view mirrors.
  • Convex mirrors produce a wider field of view, thereby providing the driver more view in all directions.
  • Our brain interprets small objects as always being farther away than large objects. Because the convex mirror produces smaller images, we assume that the object must be far away. Therefore, some mirrors have a message saying that objects are closer than they appear.

 

..........Truck mirrors
.......... - convex mirror for wider field of view
.......... - a plane mirror for normal viewing

..........mirrors on a truck

 

[Back to curved applications]