To obtain the powerful parallel beams of light from a vehicle’s headlight, one must use

To obtain powerful parallel beams of light in vehicle headlights, a concave mirror is used [2]. In this optical arrangement, the light source (bulb) is placed at the focal point of the concave reflector. According to the principles of reflection, light rays originating from the focus of a concave mirror are reflected parallel to the principal axis, creating a collimated beam [4]. While modern headlights often utilize a specific type of concave mirror called a parabolic reflector to eliminate spherical aberration and ensure more precise focusing, the fundamental category remains a concave (converging) mirror [4]. In contrast, convex mirrors are used for wide-angle views as they diverge light, and plane mirrors do not converge light to a specific focus for beam projection [3].

Sources

1. [1] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 10: Light: Mirrors and Lenses > Light: Mirrors and Lenses > p. 160
2. [2] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: Light – Reflection and Refraction > Uses of concave mirrors > p. 140
3. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabolic_reflector
4. [3] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 10: Light: Mirrors and Lenses > Snapshots > p. 165