Reflection of light
Reflection of light :- When light rays strike the boundary of two media such as air and glass, a part of light is bounced back into the same medium. This is called reflection of light. Figure (a) shows a bundle of parallel light rays reflecting from a mirror-like surface.
In this three-dimensional perspective we can see that the incident and reflected rays are both in a plane that is normal to the reflective surface. But figures such as this are hard to draw by hand. So we use a simpler pictorial representation of reflection as shown in figure (b).
In the reflection of light, the speed, frequency and wavelength of light remain unchanged, but the intensity decreases (since some part of the light is absorbed by the reflecting surface during reflection).
Types of Reflection of light
There are two types of reflection :-
- Regular / Specular reflection
- Diffused reflection/Irregular reflection
1. Regular / Specular reflection :-When the reflection takes place from a perfect smooth surface, like a plane mirror, then after reflection rays remain parallel. It is called Regular reflection.
2. Diffused reflection/ Irregular reflection :- When the surface is rough, light is reflected from the surface in various directions. This is called diffused reflection.
Conceptual Notes :-
- Only regular reflection gives rise to the formation of images.
- Diffused reflection enables us to see the objects around us.
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