Question

Which material is most suitable to make the front-view mirror glass of a car?

A. MO6
B. MO3
C. MO1
D. MO4

Answer 1

Hint: The front-view mirror glass of a car is very important and should be designed such that the role of the glass is fulfilled easily and for that, the material needed for its construction should be such that they contribute to its role.

Complete step by step solution:
-The mirrors used in daily life are of many types, concave mirror, convex mirror, plane mirror and certain mixtures of mirrors like plano-convex, plano-concave, concavo-convex, etc.
-The cars also use two types of mirrors, one is a concave mirror which is used in the headlights so that the light can cover more area from the headlights thereby increasing the visibility of the rider of the car.
-The other type of mirror used in convex mirrors which is present in the front-view and rear-view mirrors of the car. The convex mirror makes the size of the objects diminished which becomes easier to be viewed in the mirror by the rider in the blindspot areas.
-Many materials are used to make such mirrors. They must have certain characteristics to be used for this specific purpose. There are varieties of cars and each car has different designs for the mirrors also.
-So the material used for the mirror construction should be such that it can be easily moulded in any shape desired by the manufacturer. It should not be very hard else more energy will be needed to mould the mirror which would increase the cost of the mirror.
-The mirror is required to be transparent and not opaque. This is because the objects are reflected by the mirror which is to be seen by the rider. If the mirror is not transparent, the rider will not be able to receive a clear image of the objects. For this, coating is done on the inside of the mirrors.
-The mirror should not be flexible else it will be difficult to form a complete image of the objects. Flexibility will create problems in the mirror as the acceleration of the car will create variations in the width and shape of the mirror if it is flexible.
-The mirrors are made of insulators so that no short circuiting may take place in the car. So the mirrors should not be conductors of heat and electricity. If so, it will lead to the increase in the temperature of the car when it is placed in sunlight and it shall be harmful for the car as well as the people in the car.
-The mirror should be strong and heavy so that it does not break easily. The car experiences certain forces and accelerations and the mirror should be able to tolerate those forces else it will damage leading to its decreased performance.

Therefore, keeping all these points in mind, we see that the best option suited for the mirror is MOD4 and the correct option is D.

Note: The construction of mirrors goes through three phases which are cutting and shaping the glass, applying the reflective material on the glass and controlling the quality of the mirrors. The raw materials for the construction include glass which is made from fused quartz. Metal coatings of aluminium are applied on it for polishing.