Reflection And Refraction Flashcards
What can all waves be
Absorbed
Transmitted
Reflected
What happens to waves when they are absorbed
Energy is transferred to the materials energy stores
What happens when waves are transmitted
And what often happens
The waves carry on travelling through the new material
Which often leads to refraction
What factors are depended on to show what happens to a wave when it come to a new material
The waves wavelength band the properties of the material involved
What’s the rule for all reflected wave s
Angle of incidence = angle of reflection
What is the angle of incidence
The angle between the incoming wave and the normal
What is the angle of reflection
The angle between the reflected wave and the normal
What is the normal
An imaginary line that’s perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence
What is specular reflection
Happens when a wave is reflected in a single direction by a smooth surface
What is diffuse reflection
A wave is reflected by a rough surface and the reflected rays are scattered in lots of different directions
Why does diffuse reflection happen
The normal is different for each incoming day which means the angle of incidence is different for each ray
What happens when light is reflected by a rough surface
The surface appears matte and you don’t get a clear reflection of objects
What is refraction
When light waves are bent (change direction) when they enter a new media (material)
The light wave hits the medium at an angle
What changes the amount a wave is refracted by
Depended son how much the wave speeds up or slows down
And this usually depends on the density of the 2 materials
If a material has a high density at what speed will the wave gravel through it
Slower
What way does the wave bend if it’s slows down when refracted and if it speeds up when refracted
Slows down = Towards the normal
Speeds up = away from the normal
What properties of a wave changes and stay the same when refracted
The wavelength changes
The frequency stays the same
What is the optical density of a material
What means if it has a high optical density
A measure of how quickly light can travel through it
The higher the optical density the slower light waves travel through it
What is the angle of incidence
The angle between the ray and the Normal
If the second material is optically denser what direction will the ray bend
Towards the normal line so the angle will get smaller
