Reflection of waves: Waves: Physics: GCSE (9:1)

• What a wave can do at the boundary between different materials

  The wave can be reflected, refracted, transmitted or absorbed

  
• Reflection


  When a wave meets meets the boundary between two different materials and bounces off

  
• Echo


  The name given to a reflected sound wave

  
• Law of reflection


  The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection (measured from the normal line)

  
• Incident ray


  The incoming ray that hits the smooth surface

  
• Angle of incidence


  The angle between the incident ray and the normal line

  
• Reflected ray

  The ray after it has been reflected from the smooth surface

  
• Angle of reflection


  The angle between the reflected ray and the normal line

  
• Normal line


  An imaginary line at right angles to the boundary between two different materials where all angles are measured from

  
• Specular reflection


  When light is reflected from a smooth surface in a single direction e.g. from a plane mirror

  
• Plane mirror


  A flat mirror that allows an image to be seen

  
• Image formed in a plane mirror

  The image formed is upright and virtual

  
• Virtual image


  An image that forms at a position where light raysappearto come from but do not actually come from e.g. the image in a plane mirror

  
• Diffuse reflection


  When light is reflected from a rough surface and scatters in many directions

  
• Image formed from a diffuse reflection


  A image formed is distorted image if it forms at all