Question

Why is a concave mirror called a converging mirror ? Explain with diagram

Answer 1

When rays from a far off source land on the reflecting side of a concave mirror, they bend meet at focal point of the mirror. This bending action causes the rays to converge at the focus hence the name converging mirror.

The reason it works like this is that the more the surface of the mirror curves, the greater the angle of incidence and the greater the angle of reflection. This makes the rays of a parallel beam meet at the focus.

In the majority of the cases, a concave mirror produces real and inverted images except when the object is placed very near to the mirror i.e. pole (p) and the focus (f) where the image produced is virtual and erect.

Answer 2

A Concave mirror is called a converging mirror because:

• A concave mirror is a mirror whose reflecting surface is inwardly curved.
• A Concave mirror is called a converging mirror as it converges the light rays.
• All the light rays which are reflected by the concave mirror converge at the focus of the mirror.