Reflection of Light Lets Us See Things Flashcards
What kind of wave is visible light?
A transverse waves, like all EM waves
What is reflection of visible light?
It is what allows us to see most objects. Light bounces off them into our eyes
What happens when light reflects from an uneven surface such as a piece of paper?
The light reflects off at all different angles and you get a diffuse reflection
What happens when light reflects from an even surface? (Smooth and shiny like a mirror)
Then it’s all reflected at the same angle and you get a clear reflection
What does the law of reflection apply to?
Every reflected ray
Angle of incidence =
Angle of reflection
What is the normal?
An imaginary line that’s perpendicular (at right angles) to the surface at the point of incidence (where waves hits boundary)
What is the normally usually shown as?
A dotted line
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 do mirrors form?
Images of whatever’s in front of them
When are virtual images formed?
When the light rays bouncing off an object onto a mirror are diverging, so the light from the object appears to be coming from a completely different place
Look at diagram page 32 to see how an image is formed in a plane mirror
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