Visit a nearby hospital or the clinic of an ENT specialist, or a dentist, with your teacher or parents. Request the doctor to show you the mirrors used for examining ear, nose, throat, and teeth. Identify the kind of mirror used in these instruments.
Dentists use concave mirrors for examining teeth because they provide an enlarged view when held close to the teeth inside the mouth.
ENT specialists use concave mirrors (often head-mounted) to focus light into the ear, nose, or throat cavity and get a magnified view of the internal structures.
The concave mirror helps in both concentrating light for illumination and providing an enlarged image for better examination.
Explanation
The chapter mentions in the 'A step further' section that dental mirrors used by dentists are concave mirrors which provide an enlarged view of teeth when held close. Concave mirrors are preferred in medical examination because they can form enlarged, erect images when the object (teeth, ear canal, etc.) is placed close to the mirror.
Solution Steps
Dentists use concave mirrors for examining teeth
Concave mirrors provide an enlarged view when held close to the object
ENT specialists use concave mirrors (often head-mounted) for examination
Concave mirrors focus light into body cavities for illumination
Concave mirrors provide magnified views of internal structures