Mirror and Lens — A Clear Difference

Mirrors and lenses are both optical devices used to manipulate the path of light.

They have distinct characteristics and functions.

Image from Unsplash 

Mirrors:

• Mirrors have a smooth reflective surface that reflects light rays in a specular manner.
  
• The reflection from a mirror results in an image that is flipped horizontally but maintains the same distance from the mirror. This is known as "lateral inversion."
  
• Mirrors are either plane mirrors (flat reflective surface) or curved mirrors (concave or convex shape).
  
• Plane mirrors reflect light without any change in the size or shape of the object being reflected.
  
• Curved mirrors can either converge (concave) or diverge (convex) light rays, producing images that can be magnified or reduced in size.
  
• Mirrors are commonly used in everyday applications like personal grooming, decoration, and optics experiments.
  

Lenses:

• Lenses are transparent optical elements with curved surfaces that refract light rays.
  
• The refraction of light through lenses causes the light rays to converge or diverge, bending the path of light.
  
• Lenses can be concave (thicker at the edges) or convex (thicker at the center).
  
• Convex lenses converge light rays to a focal point, producing real or virtual images, depending on the object's position relative to the lens.
  
• Concave lenses diverge light, creating virtual and reduced images.
• Lenses are commonly used in eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and other optical devices.

In summary, mirrors reflect light rays, producing images that are laterally inverted, while lenses refract light rays, causing them to converge or diverge, creating real or virtual images.