Convex mirrors bend outward from a flat plane, like a bubble. The curvature of a convex mirror can distort images, making them smaller than they are or would typically be if viewed in a plane mirror. Convex mirror reflections also are always virtual and upright. These mirrors often are found where hallways of busy buildings intersect, such as hotels and hospitals, to allow people to see around corners. Convex mirrors are also found in car side-view mirrors, some of which contain the wording “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear,” in an acknowledgment of the distortion the curve, no matter how slight, will create in the reflection.

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