Teach Your Students The Difference Between Convex And Concave Mirrors
Once you reach convex and concave lenses in your science curriculum, you may find it difficult to explain the difference to your students. Giving examples of items your students see almost every day will help to contextualize the differences in form and function between the two types of mirrors.
Concave Mirror
Concave mirrors curve inward like a cave, which is a helpful way for your students to remember which mirror bends which way. This inward curve in a concave mirror creates a focal point that can be used to intensely magnify and even to burn items or light them on fire.
An image will appear upside down in a concave mirror until it passes the focal point. After that, it becomes a powerful magnifier. A helpful visual aid to help explain focal points for concave mirrors is a spoon.
Make up mirrors and shaving mirrors are concave in shape. Your students may have noticed their moms or dads using a mirror that seemed stronger than the normal one on the bathroom, you can explain to them that the concave mirror is used because it’s magnification powers are much stronger than that of a regular or a convex mirror.
This mirror can also be used to light a fire. In fact, the Olympic torch is lit with a concave mirror. Watching a video of the torch lighting ceremony from the most recent Olympics could be a great visual aid.
Convex Mirror
Convex mirrors curve outward, giving you a broader view of the surrounding area.
These mirrors are often used for safety purposes, such as in the corners of stairwells or in corners of a warehouse with a blind turn. Because of the bend, it allows the viewer to see around corners. Tell your students that they can use convex mirrors to check for convicts around the corner. Because the words convex and convicts sound similar, your students will more easily remember which mirrors are convex.
A common place your students will encounter convex mirrors is on a car. Convex mirrors are used for the passenger side rear view mirror in cars. Although you can see more, the images are smaller. That is why these mirrors are printed with the words “objects are closer than they appear.” You can take your students out to your car in the parking lot and show them how convex mirrors work.
Additionally, some people claim that certain department stores use convex mirror with a slide curve to make you look taller and skinnier. For an art activity, your students could draw what they would look like in a convex and concave mirror.
With the help of visual aids and art projects, your students should have no problem learning the difference between convex and concave mirrors. To purchase concave or convex mirrors, contact Jesse’s Tri-City Glass & Mirror Inc.
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