Reflection

• All the waves can be absorbed, transmitted or reflected
• When waves arrive at a boundary, they can be:

  • Absorbed by the material the wave is trying to cross, this transfers energy to the material energy stores
  • The waves are often transmitted, the waves carry on travelling through the new material. This can lead to refraction
  • The waves are reflected
• Ray diagrams

  • The angle of incidence is the angle between the incoming wave and the normal
  • The angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected wave and the normal
  • The normal is a line which is perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence
  • The point of incidence is point where a wave hits the boundary

  
• Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection
• Reflection can be secular or diffuse
• Specular and Diffuse Reflection

  • Specular happens when a wave is reflected in a single direction
  • Diffuse is when a wave is reflected by a rough surface and the rays are scatter in many different directions

  This happens because the normal is different for each incoming ray, which means the angle of incidence is different for each ray. When light is reflected by a rough surface, the surface appears matte and you don’t get a clear reflection of objects