Many handheld flashlights place the bulb filament very close to a curved reflecting surface. Which statement best explains why a concave mirror, rather than a plane or convex mirror, is typically used for this reflector?
a) A convex mirror concentrates the bulb’s light at a real focal point in front of the flashlight, creating a risk of overheating the lens
b) A concave mirror redirects the bulb’s diverging light into an approximately parallel beam, increasing the flashlight’s reach
c) Because the filament is inside the focal length, a concave mirror forms an upright virtual image of the bulb, so the light appears brighter even though its direction is unchanged
d) A plane mirror would form an inverted real image of the bulb that would block most of the outgoing light