Reflection of light

Basic Terms and Laws of Reflection

Basic Terms

• Ray of Light: The path along which light energy travels.
• Beam of Light:

Reflection of Light

Reflection: Bouncing back of light rays when they meet the boundary of two media.

• Speed, frequency, and wavelength remain unchanged.
• Amplitude and intensity decrease slightly.

Laws of Reflection

1. First Law: Incident ray, reflected ray, and the normal all lie in the same plane.
2. Second Law: Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection.

Important Terms

• Incident Ray: Incoming ray that falls on a surface.
• Reflected Ray: Outgoing ray after the reflection.
• Point of Incidence: Where incident ray meets surface.
• Normal: Line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.
• Angle of Incidence: Angle between incident ray and normal.
• Angle of Reflection: Angle between reflected ray and normal.

Plane Mirrors

A plane mirror is a polished flat surface that reflects light.

Types of Images

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Properties of Images Formed by Plane Mirrors

1. Virtual and erect.
2. Same size as object.
3. The distance between the object and the mirror is equal to that between its image and the mirror.
4. Laterally inverted (left-right reversed).

Lateral Inversion: The right side of the object appears as the left side in the image and vice versa.