Reflection of light
Reflection of light is when a light ray bounces of a surface; it involves a change of direction of the ray. A light ray is a model of light in which it is drawn as a straight line, even though it is a wave. Each time a light ray strikes a boundary between to things light is reflected. Reflection involves two rays the incident ray and the outgoing ray or the ray of reflection. Light always follows the law of reflection. There are two types of reflection of light specular reflection and diffuse reflection.
The laws of reflection
The laws of reflection states that
1. The angle of the incident ray is equal to the angle of reflection of the ray of light.
2. The incident ray, reflected ray, and the normal all lie on the same plane
3. The reflecting and incident rays are on opposite sides of the normal
The image below represents the laws of reflection.
The normal The dashed line labeled as the “normal” is a line drawn to a surface that reflects light and makes a 90 degree angle to the surface. It is used as a reference point to all of the angles in the law of reflection.
The incidence
The incident ray is a light ray that
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They are used to focus light, concave mirrors show different types of images depending on the distance between the object and the mirror. These mirrors are also called converging because they collect light that strikes the reflecting surface refocusing parallel rays. The way they reflect light depends on the way the mirror is bent.
Spherical concave mirrors are shaped as if it is a part of a hollow sphere with an inner reflective surface. The center of the spherical concave mirror is called C. the radius of the curve is the radius of the sphere which is known as R. The focal point F is located half the distance from the mirror to the center of the curve. To find the approximate focal length of a spherical mirror we use the formula: f = R /