Many of the objects that we casually view every day (people, cars, houses, animals, trees, etc.) do not themselves emit visible light but reflect incident natural sunlight and artificial light. However, in the real world most objects have convoluted surfaces that exhibit a diffuse reflection, with the incident light being reflected in all directions. When surface imperfections are smaller than the wavelength of the incident light (as in the case of a mirror), virtually all of the light is reflected equally. The amount of light reflected by an object, and how it is reflected, is highly dependent upon the degree of smoothness or texture of the surface. The reflected light produces a mirror image. Regardless of whether light is acting as particles or waves, the result of reflection is the same. Because the particles are so small, they travel very close together (virtually side by side) and bounce from different points, so their order is reversed by the reflection process, producing a mirror image. The best surfaces for reflecting light are very smooth, such as a glass mirror or polished metal, although almost all surfaces will reflect light to some degree.Īccording to particle theory, which differs in some important details from the wave concept, light arrives at the mirror in the form of a stream of tiny particles, termed photons, which bounce away from the surface upon impact. It is important to note that the light is not separated into its component colors because it is not being “bent” or refracted, and all wavelengths are being reflected at equal angles. This concept is often termed the Law of Reflection. Thus, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection for visible light as well as for all other wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Visible white light that is directed onto the surface of a mirror at an angle (incident) is reflected back into space by the mirror surface at another angle (reflected) that is equal to the incident angle, as presented for the action of a beam of light from a flashlight on a smooth, flat mirror in Figure 2. The incoming light wave is referred to as an incident wave, and the wave that is bounced away from the surface is termed the reflected wave. However, it wasn’t until a millennium and a half later that the Arab scientist Alhazen proposed a law describing exactly what happens to a light ray when it strikes a smooth surface and then bounces off into space. It provides for the legal, unlicensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work under a four-factor balancing test.Some of the earliest accounts of light reflection originate from the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, who conducted a series of experiments around 300 BC, and appears to have had a good understanding of how light is reflected. Examples of fair use include commentary, search engines, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders. If you are the author of the text above and you not agree to share your knowledge for teaching, research, scholarship (for fair use as indicated in the United States copyrigh low) please send us an e-mail and we will remove your text quickly.įair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. The meaning and definition indicated above are indicative not be used for medical and legal purposesĪuthor : not indicated on the source document of the above text Law of Reflection - The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection when both angles are measured with respect to the normal line (and the incident ray, reflected ray and normal all lie in the same plane). Law Of Reflection meaning and definition : The information of medicine and health contained in the site are of a general nature and purpose which is purely informative and for this reason may not replace in any case, the council of a doctor or a qualified entity legally to the profession. The following texts are the property of their respective authors and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to share for free to students, teachers and users of the Web their texts will used only for illustrative educational and scientific purposes only.Īll the information in our site are for educational uses.
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