A driver notices that the image of a car behind appears smaller than the actual car and always remains uprigh…

Question

A driver notices that the image of a car behind appears smaller than the actual car and always remains upright, regardless of how close the following car is. The rear-view mirror being used is most likely:
(A) A plane mirror, because it forms images of the same size
(B) A concave mirror, because it forms magnified images
(C) A convex mirror, because it provides a wider field of view and always forms an erect image
(D) A concave mirror, because it forms real images of distant objects

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **(C) A convex mirror, because it provides a wider field of view and always forms an erect image.** Convex mirrors always give a virtual, erect, and diminished image regardless of object distance, and have a wider field of view — hence preferred as rear-view mirrors. Source: Chapter 9, *Uses of convex mirrors* --- ## Explanation The key clues in the question are: image is **smaller than actual** (diminished) and **always upright** (erect) regardless of distance. Only a convex mirror satisfies both conditions for all object positions (see Table 9.2). The textbook explicitly states convex mirrors are used as rear-view mirrors because they always give an erect, diminished image and a wider field of view. Eliminate (A) — plane mirrors give same-size images; eliminate (B) and (D) — concave mirrors can form inverted/real images.

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