Convex mirrors are preferred as rear-view mirrors in vehicles due to their ability to provide a wider field of view. Their outwardly curved surface reflects light from a broader area, allowing drivers to see a larger portion of the road behind them. This feature is crucial for safety, as it helps in monitoring traffic and detecting potential hazards. Additionally, convex mirrors reduce the size of the reflected images, making distant objects visible within a compact mirror.


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Introduction to Vehicle Mirrors

Essential Safety Components: Mirrors in vehicles are critical for safety, providing drivers with visibility of the area behind and alongside the vehicle. The design of these mirrors is key to their functionality.

Convex Mirrors in Vehicles

Preferred Choice for Rear-View: Convex mirrors are commonly used as rear-view mirrors in vehicles. Their unique shape and reflective properties offer significant advantages for this application.

Wider Field of View

Expansive Visibility: The outward curvature of convex mirrors allows them to reflect a wider field of view compared to flat mirrors. This means drivers can see more of the road and surrounding area, which is essential for monitoring traffic and detecting potential hazards from a broader perspective.

Minimized Blind Spots

Enhanced Safety: The extended field of view provided by convex mirrors helps in significantly reducing blind spots. This feature is crucial for safe lane changes and reversing, as it allows drivers to have a better awareness of other vehicles and obstacles around them.

Image Size Reduction

Compact and Informative Reflections: Convex mirrors make reflected objects appear smaller. This reduction in size enables a larger area to be visible within the limited space of a rear-view mirror, ensuring that drivers get a comprehensive view without needing an excessively large mirror.

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Optimal Choice for Rear-View Mirrors: The combination of a wider field of view, reduced blind spots, and the ability to display a larger area within a small surface area makes convex mirrors the optimal choice for rear-view mirrors in vehicles. Their design enhances driving safety by providing a more complete and effective view of the surroundings.

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Questions of 10th Science Chapter 9 in Detail

Define the principal focus of a concave mirror.
The radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is 20 cm. What is its focal length?
Name a mirror that can give an erect and enlarged image of an object.
Why do we prefer a convex mirror as a rear-view mirror in vehicles?
Find the focal length of a convex mirror whose radius of curvature is 32 cm.
A concave mirror produces three times magnified (enlarged) real image of an object placed at 10 cm in front of it. Where is the image located?
A ray of light travelling in air enters obliquely into water. Does the light ray bend towards the normal or away from the normal? Why?
Light enters from air to glass having refractive index 1.50. What is the speed of light in the glass?
Find out, from Table, the medium having highest optical density. Also find the medium with lowest optical density.
You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest?
The refractive index of diamond is 2.42. What is the meaning of this statement?
Define 1 dioptre of power of a lens.
A convex lens forms a real and inverted image of a needle at a distance of 50 cm from it. Where is the needle placed in front of the convex lens if the image is equal to the size of the object?
Find the power of a concave lens of focal length 2 m.
We wish to obtain an erect image of an object, using a concave mirror of focal length 15 cm. What should be the range of distance of the object from the mirror?
Name the type of mirror used in the following situations. (a) Headlights of a car. (b) Side/rear-view mirror of a vehicle. (c) Solar furnace.
One-half of a convex lens is covered with a black paper. Will this lens produce a complete image of the object?
An object 5 cm in length is held 25 cm away from a converging lens of focal length 10 cm. What is the position, size and the nature of the image formed.
A concave lens of focal length 15 cm forms an image 10 cm from the lens. How far is the object placed from the lens?
An object is placed at a distance of 10 cm from a convex mirror of focal length 15 cm. Find the position and nature of the image.
The magnification produced by a plane mirror is +1. What does this mean?
An object 5.0 cm in length is placed at a distance of 20 cm in front of a convex mirror of radius of curvature 30 cm. Find the position of the image, its nature and size.
An object of size 7.0 cm is placed at 27 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 18 cm. At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed, so that a sharp focussed image can be obtained?
Find the focal length of a lens of power – 2.0 D. What type of lens is this?
A doctor has prescribed a corrective lens of power +1.5 D. Find the focal length of the lens. Is the prescribed lens diverging or converging?