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Why do they make "objects closer than they appear"?

S

StrangeRanger

Golden Member
Don't know why I started wondering about it, but I was driving into work today, looked in my passenger side rear view mirror and just started to wonder why they do that? What purpose does that mirror serve? Why make things look farther away then they are? I don't get it.
j
 
Because it's 6 feet away from your face, therefore everything looks 6 feet farther behind your car than it actually is.
 
so that you have a wider viewing angle. It's warning you that a car could be closer to you than you expect, so take caution not to get into an accident.
 
Originally posted by: StrangeRanger
Don't know why I started wondering about it, but I was driving into work today, looked in my passenger side rear view mirror and just started to wonder why they do that? What purpose does that mirror serve? Why make things look farther away then they are? I don't get it.
j
Click to expand...
To allow you to see a wider angle. :roll:
 
Strange, its the only way they could be able to be seen. the only way for that mirror to work is to be convex (i hope im saying this right). if it wasnt convex, then the angle of reflection wouldnt work and you couldnt even have a mirror on that side.

MIKE
 
Its not a completely flat mirror. They do this to give you a wider viewing angle and thus you can see more potential hazzards. The drawback? As with the funny-house mirrors at a carnival, things are distorted. In the case of some side mirrors, the distortion is that things appear smaller (further away) than they are in reality.
 
Change lanes often? I look over my shoulder before changing lanes, but having the mirror on the passenger side helps too.

As for why objects are closer than they appear, it probably has to do with the properties of the mirror and they warn you of that so you don't get into an accident and sue the car manufacturer because you were a dumbass for relying on the mirror to tell you if someone was close or not.
 
All you need is a convex rear-view mirror and check your blindspots when you actually go through with the lane change.
 
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
Strange, its the only way they could be able to be seen. the only way for that mirror to work is to be convex (i hope im saying this right). if it wasnt convex, then the angle of reflection wouldnt work and you couldnt even have a mirror on that side.

MIKE
Click to expand...

No, a flat mirror would work fine, but a convex mirror gives you a larger viewing angle.

What makes you think a flat mirror wouldn't work?
 
if you adjust your mirrors correctly you can use the side ones purely for checking your blind spot

if you are the only driver of the car than this is pretty nice to do so you dont even have to turn around to change lanes
 
But why do they think you need a wider viewing angle on that side and not the other? I just find it annoying when I'm trying to back my truck up to use that mirror.
j
 
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
Strange, its the only way they could be able to be seen. the only way for that mirror to work is to be convex (i hope im saying this right). if it wasnt convex, then the angle of reflection wouldnt work and you couldnt even have a mirror on that side.

MIKE
Click to expand...

No, a flat mirror would work fine, but a convex mirror gives you a larger viewing angle.

What makes you think a flat mirror wouldn't work?
Click to expand...

Usually the drive side has a flat mirror and the passenger side is slighly convex, at least in most cars I drive.
 
Originally posted by: StrangeRanger
But why do they think you need a wider viewing angle on that side and not the other? I just find it annoying when I'm trying to back my truck up to use that mirror.
j
Click to expand...

Because you are maybe at a 20 degree angle with your drive side mirror, and probably 70 degrees with the passenger side mirror? :roll:

if the passenger mirror was a flat mirror, your angle on the mirror would be the angle you see off of it. In other words, you would have a giant ass blind spot. By making the mirror a convex, it reduces the angle at which the light comes off the mirror, allowing you to see more parallel to your car, instead of at a wide angle.

/thread
 
Originally posted by: mchammer187
if you adjust your mirrors correctly you can use the side ones purely for checking your blind spot

if you are the only driver of the car than this is pretty nice to do so you dont even have to turn around to change lanes
Click to expand...

Well, sort of. You still have a blind spot but it is quite small, small enough so that you generally don't need to look over your shoulder, just to your side (which you are doing anyway to look in the mirror). Some smaller things still can be hidden in the blind spot, like short pedestrians or the like.

I read somewhere good tips for adjusting the mirror. The thing is, most people have them adjusted to function like a crappy rear view mirror. The tip I read said for your left mirror, put your head up against the window, and you should just barely see the side of your car. For the right mirror, when you lean over and are approximately in the middle of your car, you should just barely see the side of your car from the right mirror.
 
Because some moron would get in a wreck, blame it on the mirror not having that labelm and win a million dollars.
 
Originally posted by: dullard
Its not a completely flat mirror. They do this to give you a wider viewing angle and thus you can see more potential hazzards. The drawback? As with the funny-house mirrors at a carnival, things are distorted. In the case of some side mirrors, the distortion is that things appear smaller (further away) than they are in reality.
Click to expand...

Teh winn4r.
 
Originally posted by: MetalMat
Because some moron would get in a wreck, blame it on the mirror not having that labelm and win a million dollars.
Click to expand...

LOL

on the outside of my car mirrors were an option.
1964 Plymouth Valiant.
 
Originally posted by: torpid
Originally posted by: mchammer187
if you adjust your mirrors correctly you can use the side ones purely for checking your blind spot

if you are the only driver of the car than this is pretty nice to do so you dont even have to turn around to change lanes
Click to expand...

Well, sort of. You still have a blind spot but it is quite small, small enough so that you generally don't need to look over your shoulder, just to your side (which you are doing anyway to look in the mirror). Some smaller things still can be hidden in the blind spot, like short pedestrians or the like.

I read somewhere good tips for adjusting the mirror. The thing is, most people have them adjusted to function like a crappy rear view mirror. The tip I read said for your left mirror, put your head up against the window, and you should just barely see the side of your car. For the right mirror, when you lean over and are approximately in the middle of your car, you should just barely see the side of your car from the right mirror.
Click to expand...

generally you don't have to worry about pedestrians blindsiding you since they usually don't run in a lane of traffic, along with traffic, or speeds close to traffic as well

i would imagine a person on a bike or motorcycle would be slightly more difficult to spot but should still be easy

i dont use the side mirrors for anything other than switching lanes though so i'm guessing this shouldnt be a problem
 
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