What type of mirror has a reflective surface on the inner side of a curved bulge?

A concave mirror features a reflective surface on the inner side of its curved bulge. This design allows it to converge incoming light rays, which means that parallel rays striking the mirror are reflected inward and meet at a focal point in front of the mirror. This property is why concave mirrors are often used in applications like makeup mirrors and reflecting telescopes where a magnified image is desired.

In contrast, plane mirrors (flat surfaces) reflect light without focusing it, convex mirrors diverge light and provide a wider field of view but do not converge it, and flat mirrors are simply another term for plane mirrors, lacking the curvature that characterizes concave mirrors. Understanding the properties of concave mirrors is essential in fields such as optics and various scientific and engineering applications.