My son asked me this question last night...?

This answer might be a bit techie to explain to your son, but this is why the images are different.

A convex mirror (The outside of the spoon), or diverging mirror, is a curved mirror in which the reflective surface bulges toward the light source. Such mirrors always form a virtual image, since the focus F and the centre of curvature 2F are both imaginary points "inside" the mirror, which cannot be reached.

A collimated (parallel) beam of light diverges (spreads out) after reflection from a convex mirror, since the normal to the surface differs with each spot on the mirror.

A concave mirror (The inside of the spoon) diagram showing the focus, focal Length, centre of curviture, principal axis, etc.A concave mirror, or converging mirror, has a reflecting surface that bulges inward (away from the incident light). Unlike convex mirrors, concave mirrors show different types of image depending on the distance between the object and the mirror itself.

These mirrors are called "converging" because they tend to collect light that falls on them, refocusing parallel incoming rays toward a focus. This is because the light is reflected at different angles, since the normal to the surface differs with each spot on the mirror.

The easiest way to think of it is that when on a surface like the outside of a spoon it stretches the image, but when it's on the inside of a spoon it shrinks it so much that it actually flips upside down. If you have a very flexible mirror-like surface, you can go from flat to curved inward and watch your reflection first shrink to very small and then actually flip.

Is he talking about his reflection in the spoon?

definite, you ought to be mad that he failed his project. do no longer enable him provide you the "you at the instant are not at college anymore, mom, do no longer tell me what to do," crap. you're his mom, and he simpler pay attention to what you're saying. If his grades proceed to take helpful, only take a seat with him and help him with the homework. do no longer provide him each and every of the solutions, of direction. only inspire him, and answer any questions he has.