Reflection

 Reflection

When a ray of light approaches a smooth polished surface and the light ray bounces back, it is called the reflection of light. The incident light ray that land on the surface is reflected off the surface. The ray that bounces back is called the reflected ray. If a perpendicular were drawn on a reflecting surface, it would be called normal. The figure below shows the reflection of an incident beam on a plane mirror.

Here, the angle of incidence and angle of reflection are with respect to normal and the reflective surface.

Laws of Reflection

The laws of reflection determine the reflection of incident light rays on reflecting surfaces, like mirrors, smooth metal surfaces and clear water. Let’s consider a plane mirror as shown in the figure above. The law of reflection states that

• The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane
• The angle of incidence = Angle of reflection