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.
Support your answer with reason.

Explanation

(a) Headlights of a car - concave mirror ,
Concave mirrors are used in search lights, torches and vehicle headlights to obtain a powerful parallel beam of light. For this, the bulb is placed at the principal focus (F) of the concave mirror inside the light source.

(b) Side/rear-view mirror of a vehicle - convex mirror ,
Convex mirror are used as rear - view wing mirrors (side mirrors) of vehicles as they form an erect but diminished image for any position of the object (vehicles behind). The field of vision of a convex mirror is quite wider which means a driver gets a better view of the traffic behind his vehicle. Also for any position of the object, the image is always erect.
Field of vision in a plane mirror and convex mirror

(c ) Solar furnace - concave mirror : Concave mirrors are used in solar furnaces to produce extreme heat. This is done by focusing sunlight at a point which is the principal focus (F) of the concave mirror.