The Ray Model of Light Flashcards
What is the ray model of light?
A model that represents light as a straight line or ray
What is transparency?
A measure of how much light can pass through a material
What happens to light in transparent objects? Give examples of transparent objects.
Light is easily transmitted
ex: glass, wrap, air, water
What happens to light in translucent objects? Give examples of translucent objects.
Some light gets transmitted, some gets reflected or absorbed. Light is scattered
ex: plastic container, frosted glass, clouds, fingernails
What happens to light in opaque objects? Give examples of opaque objects.
Light does not pass through. It is reflected or absorbed
ex: wood, textbook, stones, large mass of water, mirror
How does the distance of the light source from an object affect the size of the shadow?
The closer the object is to the light source, the larger the shadow
What are the laws of reflection?
- AOI = AOR
2, Incident ray, the normal and reflected ray all lie on the same plane
What is the incident ray?
Ray of light that travels toward the reflecting surface
What is the reflected ray?
Ray of light that bounces off the reflecting surface
What is the point of incidence?
The spot where the incident ray hits the reflecting surface
What is the normal?
An imaginary line drawn from the point of incidence at 90 degrees to the reflecting surface
What is the angle of incidence (AOI)?
The angle between the incident ray and the normal
What is the angle of reflection (AOR)?
The angle between the reflected ray and the normal
What is specular reflection?
When light reflects off a smooth, shiny surface
What is diffuse reflection?
When light is reflected scatters in many directions due to the irregular surface
