reflection mirrors
TRANSCRIPT
Light: Reflection and Mirrors7SCIENCE
How do reflections relate to light?
• How are light and reflection related?– In mirrors, the image seen is reflected from the
surface and into your eye
• Law of reflection– When a light ray strikes a surface and is reflected it
follows the law of reflection:• The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
– True FOR ANY surface, no matter what material it is made of
Law of Reflection
• The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
• When a light ray strikes the surface, the line perpendicular (90°) to the surface is called the normal
• The incoming light ray and the normal make up the angle of incidence
• The reflected light ray forms an angle called the angle of reflection
NORMALIncoming light
Reflection from surfaces• Why can you see your reflection in some surfaces such
as mirrors and not in others (ex. paper)? – Related to the smoothness of the surface
• Even if something looks smooth, its surface may be uneven or rough and cause light rays to be reflected in many directions – This is called diffuse reflection– Mirror reflections are called normal reflections
Reflection from surfaces