Lesson Plan: Convex Mirrors Science
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to describe the reflection of light rays from a convex mirror.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- identify the center of curvature of a spherical mirror in a diagram,
- recognize that, for a convex mirror, the center of curvature of a spherical mirror is on the opposite side to the observer,
- understand that the radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is just the radius of the sphere,
- recognize that a spherical mirror has a focal point,
- recognize that a convex spherical mirror will not focus rays at a point,
- understand that the focal length of a spherical mirror is the distance between the center of the surface of the mirror and the focal point,
- use the relationship that focal length = the radius of curvature.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the terms object and image,
- the law of reflection.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- image formation by convex mirrors.
