Reflections

Question 1

What does the angle of incidence equal? ( law of reflection )

Answer 1

The angle of reflection

Question 2

Where are all angles measured from?

Answer 2

The normal

Question 3

What is Lateral inversion?

Answer 3

When something is reflected in a plain mirror, left becomes right and right becomes left. This is called lateral inversion

Question 4

What are the properties of the image in a plain mirror?

Answer 4

Same size
Upright
Laterally inverted
The same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front

Question 5

What is refraction

Answer 5

Refraction is the change in speed of light at a boundary

as a consequence it will bend at a boundary

Question 6

What is apparent depth?

Answer 6

The illusion comes from the fact that our eye doesn’t know that the light has been reflected when it comes from water into air, and so thinks that it has originated from a point closer to the surface

Question 7

What happens when a light ray enters a more optically dense medium e.g air to glass

Answer 7

The ray slows down and bends towards the normal

Question 8

What happens when a light ray leaves a more optically dense medium e.g glass to air

Answer 8

The ray speeds up and bends away from the normal