Mirror vs. Lens
The main difference between the Mirror and Lens is that Mirror is a single surface object that can reflect light, whereas Lens is a two-surface object that can refract light.
Key Differences
As a mirror has a single surface, so it has a single focal point. On the other side, as the lens has two refracting sides so, it has two focal points.
A smoothly polished glass surface that forms the image of an object when light falls on it is known as a mirror, whereas a transparent object with a spherical surface that may form both real and virtual images when light refracted through it is known as a lens.
The mirror has a single surface. On the flip side, the lens has two surfaces.
A mirror that reflects 100% of light is known as an ideal mirror, while a lens that refracts 100% of light is called an ideal lens.
The mirrors act on the principle of reflection. It works by reflecting the light incident on it. On the other hand, the lens acts on the law of refraction, i.e., it works by refracting the light passing through it.
A mirror made up of glass and a highly polished metal placed behind it. On the other hand, the lens made up of bent and transparent plastic or glass.
A mirror shows a plane or spherical shape; conversely, a lens has curved or bent surfaces.
The two main types of mirrors are a concave mirror and a convex mirror. On the flip side, the two main types of lens are the concave lens and a convex lens.
The mirror equation to make calculations related to the image formed by a mirror is 1/f = 1/v ₊ 1/u. On the other hand, the lens equation to make calculations related to an image formed by a lens is 1/f = 1/v ₋ 1/u.
The mirror is used in automobiles, houses, solar appliances, etc. On the other side, the lens is used in astronomy, medical, scientific industries, and for research purposes, etc.
Comparison Chart
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A smoothly polished glass surface that forms the image of an object when light falls on it is known as a mirror.
A transparent object with a spherical surface that may form both real and virtual images when light refracted through it is known as a lens.
Composition
Mirror made up of glass and a highly polished metal placed behind it.
The lens made up of bent and transparent plastic or glass.
Shape
A mirror has a plane or spherical shape.
A lens has curved or bent surfaces.
Number of Surfaces
It has a single surface.
It possesses two surfaces.
Focal Point
As a mirror has a single surface, so it has a single focal point.
The lens has two refracting surfaces, so it has two focal points.
Working Principle
The mirrors act on the principle of reflection.
The lens acts on the principle of refraction
Ideal Condition
A mirror that reflects 100% of light is known as an ideal mirror.
A lens that refracts 100% of light is called as an ideal lens.
Equation
The mirror equation to make calculations related to the image formed by a mirror is 1/f = 1/v ₊ 1/u.
The lens equation to make calculations related to an image formed by a lens is 1/f = 1/v ₋ 1/u.
Types
Its three main types are a concave mirror, convex mirror, and plane mirror.
The two main types of lens are a concave lens and a convex lens.
Uses
The mirror is used in automobiles, houses, solar appliances, etc.
The lens is used in astronomy, medical, scientific industries, and for research purposes, etc.
Mirror and Lens Definitions
Mirror
A surface capable of reflecting sufficient undiffused light to form an image of an object placed in front of it. Also called looking glass.
Lens
A ground or molded piece of glass, plastic, or other transparent material with opposite surfaces either or both of which are curved, by means of which light rays are refracted so that they converge or diverge to form an image.
Mirror
Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.
Lens
A combination of two or more such pieces, sometimes with other optical devices such as prisms, used to form an image for viewing or photographing.Also called compound lens.
Mirror
Something worthy of imitation.
Lens
A thin piece of glass or plastic, as on a pair of sunglasses, that transmits light without refraction.
Mirror
To reflect in or as if in a mirror
"The city mirrors many of the greatest moments of Western culture" (Olivier Bernier).
Lens
A device or phenomenon (such as a gravitational field) that causes light or other radiation to converge or diverge by an action analogous to that of a lens.
Mirror
A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
Lens
A transparent, biconvex structure in the eye of a vertebrate or cephalopod that is located between the iris and the vitreous humor and focuses light rays entering through the pupil to form an image on the retina.
Mirror
(figuratively) An object, person, or event that reflects or gives a picture of another.
Lens
A similar structure in many invertebrates.
Mirror
A disk, website or other resource that contains replicated data.
Lens
(Informal)To make a photograph or movie of.
Lens
To bend or distort (light, for example) by means of a lens, especially a gravitational field.
Mirror
(historical) A kind of political self-help book, advising kings, princes, etc. on how to behave.
Lens
An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
Mirror
(transitive) Of an event, activity, behaviour, etc, to be identical to; to be a copy of.
Lens
A device which focuses or defocuses electron beams.
Mirror
To create something identical to (a web site, etc.).
Lens
(geometry) A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.
Mirror
(transitive) To reflect, as in a mirror.
Lens
(biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.
Mirror
A looking-glass or a speculum; any glass or polished substance that forms images by the reflection of rays of light.
And in her hand she held a mirror bright,Wherein her face she often viewèd fair.
Lens
(anatomy) The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.
Mirror
That which gives a true representation, or in which a true image may be seen; hence, a pattern; an exemplar.
She is mirour of all courtesy.
O goddess, heavenly bright,Mirror of grace and majesty divine.
Lens
(earth science) A body of rock, ice, or water shaped like a convex lens.
Lens
(programming) A construct used in statically-typed functional programming languages to access nested data structures.
Mirror
To reflect, as in a mirror.
Lens
A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something.
Mirror
To copy or duplicate; to mimic or imitate; as, the files at Project Gutenberg were mirrored on several other ftp sites around the world.
Mirror
To have a close resemblance to; as, his opinions often mirrored those of his wife.
Lens
(geology) To become thinner towards the edges.
Mirror
Polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
Lens
A piece of glass, or other transparent substance, ground with two opposite regular surfaces, either both curved, or one curved and the other plane, and commonly used, either singly or combined, in optical instruments, for changing the direction of rays of light, and thus magnifying objects, or otherwise modifying vision. In practice, the curved surfaces are usually spherical, though rarely cylindrical, or of some other figure.
Mirror
A faithful depiction or reflection;
The best mirror is an old friend
Lens
A transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
Mirror
Reflect as if in a mirror;
The smallest pond at night mirrors the firmament above
Lens
Genus of small erect or climbing herbs with pinnate leaves and small inconspicuous white flowers and small flattened pods: lentils
Mirror
Reflect or resemble;
The plane crash in Milan mirrored the attack in the World Trade Center
Lens
(metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood;
The writer is the lens through which history can be seen
Lens
Biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; it focuses light waves on the retina
Lens
Electronic equipment that uses a magnetic or electric field in order to focus a beam of electrons
Mirror vs. Lens
Mirrors form an image, and light bends through the lens. A mirror is a smoothly polished glass surface that forms an image of an object when light falls on it. On the other side, a lens is a transparent object with a spherical surface that may create both real and virtual images.
The mirror made up of glass and a highly polished metal placed behind it. On the other side, the lens made up of transparent plastic or glass. A mirror has a plane or spherical shape with a single surface while; a lens is with two surfaces that are curved outward or inward. So, due to a single surface, a mirror has a single focal point. On the other hand, as the lens has two refracting sides so, it has two focal points.
The mirrors act on the principle of reflection, i.e., it works by reflecting the light incident on it. On the flip side, the lens acts on the principle of refraction, i.e., it works by refracting the light passing through it. A mirror that reflects 100% of light is known as an ideal mirror whereas, a lens that refracts 100% of light is called an ideal lens.
The mirror equation is used to make calculations related to the image formed by a mirror, i.e., 1/f = 1/v ₊ 1/u. On the other hand, the lens equation is used to make calculations related to an image formed by a lens, i.e., 1/f = 1/v ₋ 1/u — the mirror used in automobiles, houses, solar appliances, etc. On the flip side, the lens used in astronomy, medical, scientific industries, and for research purposes, etc.
There are two main types of the mirror, i.e., concave mirror and convex mirror. On the other side, the lens has many types but, its two main types are concave lens and convex lens.
What is Mirror?
A piece of glass polished from its back or with a highly polished metal placed behind it is known as a mirror. A mirror has a plane or spherical shape with a single surface. Due to its single surface, it has a single focal point, while plane mirrors are without a focal point. The mirror equation that used to make calculations related to the image formed by a mirror given as 1/f = 1/v ₊ 1/u
The mirror is used in automobiles, houses, solar appliances, etc. It works on the law of reflection. According to this law when light falls on a surface
- The angle of the incident would be equal to the angle of reflection
- All the rays lie in the same plane, i.e., normal ray, incident ray, and the reflected ray.
Types
- Plane Mirror: It is a type of flat mirror. The plane mirror reflects the incident light rays in the same way as they fall on the mirror, i.e., angle of reflected ray is the same as the angle of incidence. Left to the right reversed image appears in a plane mirror without top-bottom vertical reversal while the distance and size of the object remain the same in reflection as it is in reality.
- Concave Mirror: It does not have a flat reflective surface. Its surface is curved inward, just like the interior of a bowl. It has thicker edges as compared to the center and forms larger and upright images. Its example is the mouth mirrors that are used by dentists to form a magnified image of the teeth of the patient. They are also used to amplify the face of a person during shaving.
- Convex Mirror: It is also without a flat reflective surface. Its surface bends or curves outwards, just like the outer surface of a bowl. It has a thicker middle portion as compared to its edges. This type of mirror produces an upright and smaller image as compared to the real object.
What is Lens?
A lens is a transparent object with a spherical surface that may form both real and virtual images when light refracted through it. A lens is with two surfaces that are curved outward or inward due to which it has two focal points.
The lenses are used in astronomy, medical, scientific industries, and for research purposes, etc. It works according to the law of refraction that is also called Snell’s law. Based on refractive indexes of the two media, this law describes how much a ray of light bends during its travel from one medium to another.
Flat, concave (curving inward), and convex (curving outward) surfaces combined in different ways to form different types of lenses. Convex surfaces used to converge rays of light that are passing through it. On the other hand, concave surfaces used to diverge the light rays that are passing through it.
The nature of the image that is formed by a lens is based on the nature of the lens and the position of the object. For example, a magnifying glass or a biconvex lens placed close to an object to view an enlarged, virtual, and upright image of the object. On the other side, the same lens used to form an inverted, real, and diminished image of an object that placed far away. The lens equation that used to make calculations related to an image formed by a lens is given as 1/f = 1/v ₋ 1/u.
Types
- Concave Lens: It is thicker on the edges as compared to its middle portion. So, the rays that pass through this type of lens diverge from the focal point and form only smaller and virtual images. These types of lenses mostly used in TV projectors.
- Convex Lens: This type of lens is thicker in the middle as compared to its edges. So, its surface is bent outwards from the center. Convex lens converges light into a single point that travels through it. So, after passing through a convex lens, the parallel rays of light join at the same point. The image that is formed by a convex lens depends on the position and distance of the object. This type of lens is used in telescope, binoculars, and magnifier, etc.
