Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear...???

Question

why is this above line written on car rear view mirrors as we all know that the convex mirror used there forms the image closer than it really is(ie v is always less than u in convex mirror).

i know that the image is smaller so they should write "larger" than "closer". Why closer??????

Answer 1

Your side mirror is curved to give you a wide andgle view which makes objects look farther away than they are.

Answer 2

well firstly you should know that your rear mirror is not convex
it is a prism with a very small angle. and this small angle is placed towards the car. (and, yeah one side of the prism has a silver layer). So, what you first wrote is wrong: the image forms further away from the rear mirror in order for the object to be closer than it's image :)

and now...answering the question: not ALL people know that what they see in their rear mirror is in fact closer than it appears and the people selling the cars are just making sure that it's clear enough. Oh, and you don't really care of the size of a car on a freeway but rather of its position relative to you : so it's not at all interesting if it's larger than you see it but it matters a lot if it's closer

Answer 3

The image is smaller in the mirror. But in comparison with objects seen without the mirror , it deludes us to think the vehicle behind is farther off than it really is. Hence the warning objects are closer than they appear.

Answer 4

Because this is a common term using the distance NOT the appearance of the vehicle behind you...and you can't sue due to the fact that the mirrors have the warning so you can't say "I couldn't tell because of the mirror."

Answer 5

its there for lawsuits..period