Search results
The hatched vertical line on the left represents the plane mirror. The incident ray is the ray of light going towards the mirror. The reflected ray is the ray of light coming away...
May 24, 2024 · We know that light is a wave based on how it behaves – it exhibits the same properties of other waves we have examined – it interferes with itself, it follows an inverse-square law for intensity (brightness), and so on.
- Introduction
- Quotes
- Causes
- Function
- Behavior
Imagining light as a ray makes it easy to describe, with great accuracy, three well-known phenomena: reflection, refraction and scattering. Let's take a second to discuss each one.
Of course, we live in an imperfect world and not all surfaces are smooth. When light strikes a rough surface, incoming light rays reflect at all sorts of angles because the surface is uneven. This scattering occurs in many of the objects we encounter every day. The surface of paper is a good example. You can see just how rough it is if you peer at ...
Refraction occurs when a ray of light passes from one transparent medium (air, let's say) to a second transparent medium (water). When this happens, light changes speed and the light ray bends, either toward or away from what we call the normal line, an imaginary straight line that runs perpendicular to the surface of the object. The amount of bend...
Lenses, like those in a telescope or in a pair of glasses, take advantage of refraction. A lens is a piece of glass or other transparent substance with curved sides for concentrating or dispersing light rays. Lenses serve to refract light at each boundary. As a ray of light enters the transparent material, it is refracted. As the same ray exits, it...
Unfortunately, a ray theory can't explain all of the behaviors exhibited by light. We'll need a few other explanations, like the one we'll cover next.
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 law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
Light as a Wave. Reflection and Refraction. All waves exhibit both reflection and refraction properties. When a wave moves from one medium into another, its direction of propagation changes; this is termed refraction.
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.
People also ask
What if a ray of light reflects off a flat mirror?
What happens if a light ray hits a mirror?
How do you describe light as a ray?
What Ray is reflected in a mirror?
How does light reflect off a mirror?
Is light a wave?
Light may change direction when it encounters objects (such as a mirror) or in passing from one material to another (such as in passing from air to glass), but it then continues in a straight line or as a ray.
