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What happens when a ray of light hits a reflective surface like a mirror?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
It'll undergo reflection and will get reflected back
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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What happens to the light rays as they hit the mirror at an angle?
they are reflected at an equal opposing angle on a first-surface mirror. on a second surface (bathroom mirror) they are also reflected, but some are absorbed/disbursed by impurities and inconsistencies in the glass.
How does the angle at which light hits a mirror compare to the angle at which it leaves the mirror?
The angle is the same but on the other side of the perpendicular to the surface of the mirror at the point at which the light hits the mirror.
What will be the effect of incident ray of light striking a rough surface compared to the same rays striking a smooth surface?
If the surface is completely reflective then the angle at which the incident light leaves the surface will be different. For a rough surface the light would be scattered, whereas for a smooth surface they would reflect at the same angle the hit. If the surface isn't completely reflective then the angle and speed and which the light enters the object. For a rough surface the angles will random and based on the refractive index of the material. For a smooth surface they will be proportional to the sin of the angle times the refractive index.
What happen when a ray of light falls perpendicular to the surface of mirror?
it reflects
What is a line of reflection?
A line of reflection is a reflected line, often off of a mirror. If a flashlight sends a beam of light at a mirror (the light is called the incident beam), the angle at which it hits the mirror will equall the angle at which the reflected beam of light (called the reflected beam), exits the mirror. This is called the Law of Reflection. This is why light is reflected from a mirror at the same angle at which light struck its surface. A line of reflection is a reflected line, often off of a mirror. If a flashlight sends a beam of light at a mirror (the light is called the incident beam), the angle at which it hits the mirror will equall the angle at which the reflected beam of light (called the reflected beam), exits the mirror. This is called the Law of Reflection. This is why light is reflected from a mirror at the same angle at which light struck its surface.
What happens when white light is shone into a mirror?
It reflects back and a small amount is absorbed into its reflective surface.
What happens to the light when it strikes a plane mirror?
Light is an electromagnetic wave and as with all waves when they hit a smooth reflective surface such as a mirror they reflect which means they bounce off at 90 degrees. Light = incident ray Light reflected = reflective ray
How do a concave mirror and convex mirror differ?
A concave mirror, or converging mirror, has a reflecting surface that bulges inward (away from the incident light). A convex mirror, fish eye mirror or diverging mirror, is a curved mirror in which the reflective surface bulges toward the light source.
How does a concave mirror work?
A concave mirror is a spherical mirror which is curved inward, where the inside surface is reflective. They work by reflecting the light captured into the centre of the mirror, creating a focal point in the centre of the mirror.
What happens when light hits a reflective surface?
It reflects with the angle of incidence (angle between the original ray of light and the normal (90 degrees to the mirror surface)) being the same as the angle of reflection (angle between the reflected ray of light and the normal). Some of the light energy is transferred into heat energy by the mirror, so the reflected beam is less bright than the original beam, but the difference is barely noticeable on a clean mirror.
Does a plane mirror produce regular or diffuse reflections?
A flat plane mirror produces regular reflections since its polished reflective surface is flat compared to the wavelength of light. If the surface is rough or irregular compared to the wavelength, the light will be scattered, resulting in diffuse reflection.
How does a concave mirror affect light?
A concave mirror will tend to "focus" light to some degree, depending on the curvature of the mirror. A parabolic mirror will bring reflected light to a sharp focus, and telescopes use this type of curve for the shape of their reflective surface. And for exactly the reasons you think they do. Want links? You got 'em....
What happens when sunlight hits a surface?
The sunlight will be absorbed by the surface.If the surface is a mirror,lesser light will be absorbed.More will be reflected. If the surface is black,more light will be absorbed.
What is a non reflective surface?
A lot of surfaces are non-reflective if viewed on a small scale, bricks for example. They do not reflect an image like a mirror does. However, almost all surfaces reflect light (otherwise you wouldn't be able to see them). It's more to do with colour really. A black surface does not reflect light. It absorbs it, unless it's very shiny like a car body. in which case it reflects it like a mirror.
What happens when sunlight hits a dark surface?
The sunlight will be absorbed by the surface.If the surface is a mirror,lesser light will be absorbed.More will be reflected. If the surface is black,more light will be absorbed.
What is plan mirror?
A plane mirror is a mirror with a planar reflective surface. For light rays striking a plane mirror, the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence. The angle of incidence is the angle between the incident ray and the surface normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface). Therefore the angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected ray and the normal and a collimated beam of light does not spread out after reflection from a plane mirror, except for diffraction effects.
What objects reflect lots of light?
Anything white, shiny, reflective... A mirror would probably be the most reflective.
