How do convex mirrors affect light reflection?

Convex mirrors reflect light outwards, causing the light rays to diverge and form a virtual, diminished and upright image.

A convex mirror, also known as a diverging mirror, has a reflective surface that bulges outward. When parallel light rays strike the mirror, they are reflected outwards and appear to come from a single point behind the mirror. This point is known as the focal point, and the distance between the mirror and the focal point is the focal length.

The image formed by a convex mirror is always virtual, meaning it appears to be located behind the mirror. This is because the reflected rays never actually converge, but only appear to do so when extended backwards. The image is also always upright and smaller than the object, which is why convex mirrors are often used in places where a wide field of view is needed, such as in car wing mirrors or security mirrors in shops.

The position, size, and nature of the image can be determined using the mirror equation and magnification equation. The mirror equation relates the object distance, image distance, and focal length, while the magnification equation relates the height of the image to the height of the object and the image distance to the object distance.

In summary, a convex mirror reflects light outwards, causing the light rays to diverge. This results in a virtual, diminished, and upright image. The properties of the image can be calculated using the mirror and magnification equations.