Reflection of light

• Light


  Stimulates vision and makes things visible
• Light waves


  • Similar to ocean waves or sound waves
  • Movement of waves carries energy from one place to another
  • Can travel even in empty spaces
• Reflection of light


  The act of reflecting, as in casting back a light or heat, mirroring, or giving back or showing an image
• When light falls on a highly polished surface like a mirror most of the light is sent back into the same medium
• Luminous objects


  Things that produce their own light (e.g. sun, bulbs, candles)
• Non-luminous objects


  Objects that do not emit light but can still reflect light from other sources (e.g. tables, doors)
• A mirror is a non-luminous object
• The moon is a luminous object
• Incident ray


  The ray of light striking a mirror
• Point of incidence


  The point at which the incident ray strikes the mirror
• Reflected ray


  The ray of light that bounces off the mirror
• Normal


  The line perpendicular to the mirror through the point of incidence
• Angle of incidence


  The angle formed by the incident ray with the normal
• Angle of reflection


  The angle made by the reflected ray with the normal
• Laws of reflection


  • Angle of incidence is always equal to angle of reflection

  1. Incident ray, normal, and reflected ray lie in the same plane
• Irregular/diffused reflection


  Light bounces back in all directions when striking a rough and dull surface, creating general illumination
• Regular/specular reflection


  Light reflects off a smooth and shiny surface, forming a clear and precise image of the object