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Questions and Answers
What does the law of reflection state regarding the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
What does the law of reflection state regarding the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
The angle of incidence must always be less than 90 degrees.
The angle of incidence must always be less than 90 degrees.
True
Define the angle of refraction.
Define the angle of refraction.
The angle of refraction is the angle formed between the refracted ray and the normal when light enters a new medium.
In the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of __________.
In the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of __________.
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When light moves from air to water, it bends __________.
When light moves from air to water, it bends __________.
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Match the following terms with their corresponding descriptions:
Match the following terms with their corresponding descriptions:
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Dispersion occurs when light travels through a medium and its colors separate.
Dispersion occurs when light travels through a medium and its colors separate.
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The relationship between the angles during reflection can be summarized as i = __________.
The relationship between the angles during reflection can be summarized as i = __________.
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What type of reflection allows you to see a clear image?
What type of reflection allows you to see a clear image?
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Absorption of light refers to light bouncing off tiny particles in different directions.
Absorption of light refers to light bouncing off tiny particles in different directions.
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What is Snell's Law used for?
What is Snell's Law used for?
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The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of ________ in the law of reflection.
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of ________ in the law of reflection.
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Match the following terms with their definitions:
Match the following terms with their definitions:
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Which of the following surfaces will result in diffuse reflection?
Which of the following surfaces will result in diffuse reflection?
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Light travels in straight lines called rays.
Light travels in straight lines called rays.
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What happens to light during scattering?
What happens to light during scattering?
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Which color of light bends the least when passing through a medium?
Which color of light bends the least when passing through a medium?
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The angle of refraction decreases as the angle of incidence increases.
The angle of refraction decreases as the angle of incidence increases.
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What is the formula for calculating the index of refraction?
What is the formula for calculating the index of refraction?
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Light travels slower in ______ than in a vacuum.
Light travels slower in ______ than in a vacuum.
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If light travels from air (n ≈ 1) into a medium with a refractive index of 1.5, what will the angle of refraction be if the angle of incidence is 30 degrees?
If light travels from air (n ≈ 1) into a medium with a refractive index of 1.5, what will the angle of refraction be if the angle of incidence is 30 degrees?
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What happens to the frequency of light as it passes from one medium to another?
What happens to the frequency of light as it passes from one medium to another?
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The sine of the angle of incidence divided by the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant for given media.
The sine of the angle of incidence divided by the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant for given media.
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Study Notes
Reflection and Refraction of Light
- Light is electromagnetic radiation with wave and particle properties.
- Light travels in straight lines called rays.
- A bundle of light rays is called a beam.
- Light sources can be natural (sun, stars, fire, bioluminescence, lightning) or man-made (light bulbs, lamps, flashlights, candles, lasers).
Reflection
- Reflection is when light waves strike a surface and bounce back.
- Reflection occurs because light cannot pass through certain materials.
- Everything we see reflects light. This is how we see objects.
Types of Reflection
- Specular Reflection: Light reflects off a smooth, shiny surface (like a mirror or calm water) in a well-organized, uniform direction. This produces a clear reflection or image.
- Diffuse Reflection: Light reflects off a rough or uneven surface (like paper or a wall) in many directions. The surface is bumpy at a microscopic level, so you don't see a clear reflection; instead, you see the object itself because light spreads evenly.
Absorption and Scattering of Light
- Absorption: Light waves transfer energy to matter particles.
- Scattering: Light bounces off tiny particles (dust, air molecules, water droplets) and changes direction.
Law of Reflection of Light
- Law 1: The incident ray, the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence, and the reflected ray are in the same plane.
- Law 2: The angle of incidence (angle between incident ray and normal) equals the angle of reflection (angle between reflected ray and normal). In simpler terms: the angle at which light hits a surface equals the angle at which it bounces off.
Refraction
- Refraction: Light bends as it passes from one medium to another. This happens because light changes speed when it moves between different materials (e.g., putting a pencil in water).
- When light slows down (e.g., air to water), it bends toward the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface).
- When light speeds up (e.g., water to air), it bends away from the normal.
Dispersion
- Dispersion: The separation of light into colors by a prism. Light components refract at different angles due to their different wavelengths.
- Red light bends the least, violet the most, with other colors in between.
Index of Refraction
- Index of refraction (n): A measure of how much light slows down when it passes from one medium to another.
- The refractive index (n) is calculated by dividing the speed of light in a vacuum (c) by the speed of light in the material (v).
- n = c / v
Snell's Law of Refraction
- Snell's Law describes how light bends when passing between different mediums.
- n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂
- θ₁ = angle of incidence
- θ₂ = angle of refraction
- n₁ = refractive index of first medium, n₂ = refractive index of second medium.
- For example, if light goes from air (n≈1) to water (n≈1.33), the constant will be about 1.33.
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Description
Explore the fundamental concepts of reflection and refraction in light. This quiz covers the properties of light, types of reflection, and how we perceive objects through the bouncing back of light waves. Test your knowledge on natural and artificial light sources as well!
