Reflection is the bouncing back of light rays from a surface when they encounter it. It follows the law of reflection which states that the angle at which an incoming ray strikes a surface is equal to the angle at which the reflected ray leaves the surface.
Imagine throwing a ball against a wall and observing how it bounces back at an equal angle. This is similar to how light reflects off a mirror or any other reflective surface.
Incident Ray: The incident ray is the incoming ray of light that strikes a surface.
Reflected Ray: The reflected ray is the ray of light that bounces off a surface after reflection.
Normal Line: The normal line is an imaginary line perpendicular to the reflecting surface, used to measure angles of incidence and reflection.
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.