Optics: Mirrors and Ray Tracing

Questions and Answers

What makes a mirror different from a regular wall or surface?

The smoothness of its surface (correct)

The material it is made of

The way it absorbs light

The color it reflects

Why does light bounce off a mirror in predictable ways?

Because light is a particle

Because the surface is smooth (correct)

Because of the law of refraction

Because of the law of reflection

What is the purpose of drawing light as a ray in ray tracing?

To illustrate the path of individual photons

To simplify the illustration of light movement (correct)

To demonstrate the law of reflection

To show the wave-like properties of light

What happens to the peaks and valleys on a surface as it becomes smoother?

They get smaller and smaller Signup and view all the answers

Why can't we see a clear image in a regular wall or dining room table?

Because the surface is too rough Signup and view all the answers

What is the law of reflection related to?

The way light bounces off surfaces Signup and view all the answers

What is the principle behind the law of reflection?

The incident angle is equal to the reflected angle Signup and view all the answers

What is special about the surface of a mirror at the microscopic level?

It is super smooth Signup and view all the answers

Why does a mirror produce an image, but a dining room table does not?

Because a mirror is smoother than a dining room table Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for when light bounces off in many directions?

Diffuse reflection Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a ray tracing diagram?

To show how light behaves when it hits a surface Signup and view all the answers

Why do parallel rays of light remain parallel after bouncing off a mirror?

Because the mirror has a smooth surface Signup and view all the answers

When you look at a mirror, where does the image appear to be?

Behind the mirror Signup and view all the answers

What is the angle of incidence equal to?

The angle of reflection Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the way light rays behave when they hit a mirror?

They follow the law of reflection Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

What is a Mirror?

A mirror is a reflective surface that shows a clear image
Mirrors are super smooth surfaces, unlike regular surfaces like dining room tables which appear smooth on a large scale but have peaks and valleys when magnified
The smoothness of a mirror allows light to bounce off it in predictable ways

Ray Tracing

Ray tracing is a method of illustrating the path of light as a straight line coming from a source
It helps to show how light moves in a particular situation

The Law of Reflection

The law of reflection states that the angle light hits a surface (incident angle) is equal to the angle light bounces away from the surface (reflected angle)
This law applies to all surfaces, including mirrors and irregular surfaces like dining room tables
On irregular surfaces, light bounces off in many directions (diffuse reflection) due to peaks and valleys on the surface

How Mirrors Work

A mirror's smooth surface allows parallel rays to follow the law of reflection and bounce off still parallel
This results in the creation of an image
When looking at a mirror, the image appears to be behind the mirror because light rays hit the body, bounce off the mirror, and then head back to the eyes
Symmetrical light rays bounce off a mirror symmetrically, following the law of reflection