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Transverse wave
- Mathematics and experiments show that light is a transverse wave – the electric and magnetic field vectors point in directions that are perpendicular to the direction of motion of the light wave (and as it turns out, they also rare always perpendicular to each other).
Dec 28, 2020 · When a light wave hits a surface, all or part of it will turn around sharply and reflect away from the surface again. For a smooth surface like a plane mirror, almost all of the light that hits it is reflected, and the resulting image is a clean, "specular" reflection.
- Terms Used in Reflection
- Specular Reflection
- Diffuse Reflection
Incident Ray:The ray of light that is incident on the interface.Reflected Ray:The ray of light that is reflected from the interface.Normal:The perpendicular to the interface.Angle of Incidence:The angle that the incident ray makes with the normal.In the case of specular reflection, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, thus giving a mirror-like reflection.
In the case of diffuse reflection, the incident ray reflects from the interface in all directions. In other words, the angles of reflections are different for each reflected ray.
For example, when light encounters anything we can observe with unaided eyes, such as a mirror, it acts like a ray, with only subtle wave characteristics. We will concentrate on the ray characteristics in this chapter.
If a ray of light could be observed approaching and reflecting off of a flat mirror, then the behavior of the light as it reflects would follow a predictable law known as the law of reflection. The diagram below illustrates the law of reflection.
Light waves are refracted as they enter the glass because they are slowed down. The spectrum is produced because different colours of light travel at different speeds in glass.
For example, when light encounters anything we can observe with unaided eyes, such as a mirror, it acts like a ray, with only subtle wave characteristics. We will concentrate on the ray characteristics in this chapter.
People also ask
What if a ray of light reflects off a flat mirror?
Which type of reflection takes place in a plane mirror?
What Ray is reflected in a mirror?
Which Ray of light returns to the first medium without change of velocity?
What is the law of reflection?
How does light reflect off a mirror?
Since the wavelength of light is less than a micron (a thousandth of a millimeter), it acts like a ray in the many common situations in which it encounters objects larger than a micron. For example, when light encounters anything we can observe with unaided eyes, such as a mirror, it acts like a ray, with only subtle wave characteristics.
