Lens vs. Mirror — What's the Difference?

A curved piece of transparent material that bends light.

Essential in vehicles for visibility and safety.

Prone to aberrations which can distort images.

Typically used for viewing, decoration, or in instruments.

Used to focus or spread light beams in various devices.

May degrade over time, affecting the reflection quality.

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.

A mirror is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera.

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.

A surface, typically of glass coated with a metal amalgam, which reflects a clear image

A thin piece of glass or plastic, as on a pair of sunglasses, that transmits light without refraction.

(of a surface) show a reflection of

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.

A surface capable of reflecting sufficient undiffused light to form an image of an object placed in front of it. Also called looking glass.

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.

Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.

A similar structure in many invertebrates.

Something worthy of imitation.

(Informal)To make a photograph or movie of.

To reflect in or as if in a mirror

To bend or distort (light, for example) by means of a lens, especially a gravitational field.

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.

An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.

(figuratively) An object, person, or event that reflects or gives a picture of another.

A device which focuses or defocuses electron beams.

A disk, website or other resource that contains replicated data.

(geometry) A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.

A mirror carp.

(biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.

(historical) A kind of political self-help book, advising kings, princes, etc. on how to behave.

(anatomy) The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.

(transitive) Of an event, activity, behaviour, etc, to be identical to; to be a copy of.

(earth science) A body of rock, ice, or water shaped like a convex lens.

To create something identical to (a web site, etc.).

(programming) A construct used in statically-typed functional programming languages to access nested data structures.

(transitive) To reflect, as in a mirror.

A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something.

A looking-glass or a speculum; any glass or polished substance that forms images by the reflection of rays of light.

To film, shoot.

That which gives a true representation, or in which a true image may be seen; hence, a pattern; an exemplar.

(geology) To become thinner towards the edges.

See Speculum.

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.

To reflect, as in a mirror.

A transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images

To copy or duplicate; to mimic or imitate; as, the files at Project Gutenberg were mirrored on several other ftp sites around the world.

Genus of small erect or climbing herbs with pinnate leaves and small inconspicuous white flowers and small flattened pods: lentils

To have a close resemblance to; as, his opinions often mirrored those of his wife.

(metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood;

Polished surface that forms images by reflecting light

Biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; it focuses light waves on the retina

A faithful depiction or reflection;

Electronic equipment that uses a magnetic or electric field in order to focus a beam of electrons

Reflect as if in a mirror;

Can create magnified images of small or distant objects.

Reflect or resemble;

Found in everyday items like glasses and cameras.

A surface that reflects light to form an image.

Creates a virtual image that appears behind the plane of the mirror.

By bending (refracting) light rays that pass through it, focusing them to form an image.

Typically, mirrors form virtual images, but concave mirrors can form real images under certain conditions.

Mirrors reflect all wavelengths of light equally without absorbing any, thus maintaining the original colors of the object.

Common materials include glass and various types of plastic, each chosen for its optical properties.

Lenses are widely used in eyeglasses, cameras, and other optical devices to correct vision or focus light.

Aberrations are defects in a lens that cause light rays to spread out or focus imperfectly, distorting the image.

While lenses primarily refract light, they can also reflect a small amount due to their polished surfaces.

By protecting the reflective coating from oxidation and physical damage, often with a protective backing or sealant.

By applying a reflective coating, typically silver or aluminum, to the back surface of a piece of glass.

Mirrors are used to enhance lighting, create an illusion of space, and as decorative elements in interiors.