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The rays of light turn through a right angle. The same thing happens when the light hits the 2nd mirror, and the rays of light are again turned through 90°.
A mirror is a smooth reflective surface. Parallel rays of light that reflect off of a mirror can continue to travel parallel to each other, diverge (spread apart), or converge (come together) after reflection. These three scenarios are shown in Figure 28.7. Each ray of light reflects off of the mirror following the law of 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.
The vacuum cannot transmit sound waves, but the light rays continue to pass through it. It is much easier to describe the interaction of light with matter than to explain what light is. One reason for this is that light cannot be seen until it interacts with matter—a beam of light is invisible unless it strikes an eye or unless there are ...
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.
Nov 14, 2024 · The law of reflection can be used to understand the images produced by plane and curved mirrors. Unlike mirrors, most natural surfaces are rough on the scale of the wavelength of light, and, as a consequence, parallel incident light rays are reflected in many different directions, or diffusely.
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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.
