Types & Laws of Reflection Light – Reflection Types & Laws of Reflection

Light: Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object If the object is: Opaque then transmission is interrupted (i.e. piece of wood) Transparent then transmission passes through it (i.e. window) Reflective then transmission is reflected

Recall, When a reflection occurs “head on”, orientation of the image is not preserved, yet projection lines are parallel. Ex.

Types of Reflection: Specular Reflection: Diffuse Reflection: Beam of light reflected “perfectly” (in parallel to each other) from a shiny, polished surface Ex. mirrors, stainless steel, glass Diffuse Reflection: Beam of light reflected “irregularly” (in different directions) from an irregular surface Ex. Sheet of paper, table top

Laws of Reflection – Plane Mirror: normal incident ray reflected ray angle of reflection angle of incidence point of incidence The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection The incident ray, the reflected ray & the normal all lie in the same plane.

Curved Mirrors: A curved mirror may be thought of as a section of a hollow sphere The inside of the sphere results in a concave mirror also called a converging mirror The outside results is a convex mirror also called a diverging mirror

Laws of Reflection – Curved Mirrors: Use only if not given any other information!!! We will complete questions later where more info is given & can solve more quickly & accurately!!! Same as plane mirrors, but must construct the normal using the tangent to the curve of the mirror at the incidence point point of incidence tangent normal

Try: Worksheet