Reflection of Light

Explore how light bounces off surfaces! Learn the fundamental laws of reflection and discover how mirrors create images through interactive demonstrations.

📐 First Law

The angle of incidence (i) equals the angle of reflection (r). Light bounces off surfaces at the same angle it arrives, measured from the normal line.

🎯 Second Law

The incident ray, the normal, and the reflected ray all lie in the same plane. This creates a predictable path for light reflection.

Explore Light Reflection

🔬 Activity 9.1: Exploring Reflection with a Spoon

Step 1

Take a large shining spoon. Try to view your face in its curved surfaces.

Step 2

Look at the inner surface (concave side) - notice how your image appears. Is it upright or inverted? Larger or smaller?

Step 3

Now look at the outer surface (convex side) - observe the differences. The image is always upright but smaller!

Observation

The curved surfaces follow the same laws of reflection as plane surfaces, but create different types of images due to their curvature.

📚 Worked Example: Plane Mirror Image Properties

Question: A person stands 2 meters in front of a plane mirror. Describe the properties of the image formed.
  • Virtual Image: The image appears to be behind the mirror but cannot be projected on a screen.
  • Erect (Upright): The image has the same orientation as the object - not inverted.
  • Same Size: The image height equals the object height - no magnification.
  • Same Distance: The image appears 2 meters behind the mirror (total distance = 4m from person).
  • Laterally Inverted: Left appears as right and vice versa - that's why ambulance is written in reverse!

🎓 Key Takeaways

Laws of Reflection

1) Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection. 2) Incident ray, normal, and reflected ray lie in the same plane. These laws apply to all surfaces!

Plane Mirror Images

Virtual, erect, same size, same distance behind mirror, and laterally inverted. Perfect for everyday use!

Curved Surfaces

Concave surfaces can form real or virtual images. Convex surfaces always form virtual, diminished images. Both follow reflection laws!

Applications

Periscopes, kaleidoscopes, car mirrors, telescopes, and solar cookers all use reflection principles!