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If light hits a mirror at an angle it reflects back at you but it will make the image look bigger or smaller (if the mirror is concave or convex). If it is a flat plane mirror the image is the same but if your holding something it will be on the opposite side
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∙ 11y ago
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A diver shines light up to the surface of a smooth pond at a 10 degree angle some light passes into the air above and the part that reflects back into the water makes an angle of how many degrees?
10
What happens when a ray of light hits a reflective surface like a mirror?
It'll undergo reflection and will get reflected back
Why does light reflect in a mirror?
A glass mirror is a piece of glass with a reflective coating on the back side. If a surface is extremely smooth and flat, it will reflect light waves without distorting them. Metal mirrors are less efficient, generally because the metal is difficult to polish to the same smoothness as glass. Water can be an effective mirror, if the surface of it is perfectly smooth. The question is Why? The answer is that light reflects off everything. It is normal for light to reflect. A photon hits an atom or molecule of substance and it bounces off it. That's how come we can see things. Because light bounces off them. So it is no mystery that light bounces off (reflects) mirrors. The only difference between mirrors and other things is they bounce nearly ALL the light wave lengths back and are smooth to not distort the reflection and we are accustomed to use them for looking at ourselves and come to think of them as different. If all the wavelengths were not reflected the mirror would have a colour. The colour of the reflected wavelengths of light. Absorption of a wavelength would be, I'd guess (I'm no scientist) the losing of some of the energy of those photons - lose all its energy and it'd be extinguished, I guess. Possibly the question really should be Why Can't We See A Mirror? because that's the funny thing: we see only the reflections and fail to see the reflective surface and that's because, again, 'seeing' means looking at reflected light. light bounces off the reflecting surface of the mirror. Note the reflecting surface of a mirror is commonly the metallic coating on the back of a sheet of glass. So if it's reflecting off metal why not make metal mirrors with no glass? Because this way is cheaper and easier. Depositing a fine layer of metal on a totally smooth piece of glass is a lot easier than taking a piece of metal and and polishing to a high finish - and then keep it that way.
What happens to light that moves from glass to air when its angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle?
It does not move from glass to air but undergoes internal refraction. That is, it is refracted back into the glass at the interface.
What occurs when light passes from one medium to a less optically dense medium at an angle so great that there is no refracted ray?
It is always refracted, but at an angle so that it goes back into the original medium. This phenomenon is called Total Internal Reflection. The angle that this occurs at is called the critical angle.
What happens if you shine a light into a mirror?
When you shine a light into a mirror, the light reflects off the mirror's surface and bounces back in the opposite direction. This is called specular reflection. The angle at which the light hits the mirror will be equal to the angle at which it bounces off.
What happen to the light when its hits the mirror?
When light hits a mirror, it is reflected back with the same angle as it hit the mirror. This is known as the law of reflection. The angle of incidence (incoming light) is equal to the angle of reflection (reflected light).
What does a mirror do to light in order to form a reflection?
A mirror reflects light by causing it to bounce off its smooth and flat surface. When light hits a mirror, it undergoes a specular reflection, where it reflects at the same angle as it hits the mirror. This reflection creates an image of the object that is reflected in the mirror.
How incident ray are refracted by a convex mirror?
A convex mirror does not refract light; it reflects it. When an incident ray strikes a convex mirror, it reflects back in a way that obeys the law of reflection—angle of incidence equals angle of reflection. This creates a virtual image that appears behind the mirror.
What happens when light falls on mirror?
It is reflected. Depending on the shape of the mirror, this can be at a variety of angles. Assuming the question refers to a flat mirror that is hung on a wall; a plane (flat) mirror has an imaginary straight line at a right-angle to it, called the normal. A ray of light hits the mirror at an angle to the normal, but is reflected at the same angle that it hits the mirror in the opposite direction. So if a ray hits the mirror at 45 degrees from the normal, it will be reflected at 45 degrees from the normal in the opposite direction.
What object reflects the most light?
A mirror reflects the most light because its surface is smooth and highly reflective, bouncing light rays off at an equal angle to the angle they hit the mirror. This causes most of the light to be reflected back in the direction from which it came.
What phenomenon occurs when a light beam is incident on a mirror?
When a light beam is incident on a mirror, reflection occurs. The mirror surface reflects the light beam back in a predictable manner, following the law of reflection, where the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
What happens if the ray of light hits the mirror?
When a ray of light hits a mirror, it is reflected back at an equal angle from the normal (a line perpendicular to the surface of the mirror). This is known as the law of reflection.
What happens when normal incidence strikes mirror?
When light with normal incidence strikes a mirror, it reflects back at the same angle in the opposite direction. This is known as specular reflection, where the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
What is an object that reflects light?
A mirror is an object that reflects light by bouncing it back in a predictable manner.
What direction does a plane mirror reflect light when the beam is aimed perpendicular to it?
A plane mirror reflects light back in the same direction from which it came, regardless of the angle of incidence. This means that if the beam of light is aimed perpendicular to the mirror, it will be reflected back along the same path.
Why can water act as a mirror?
Water can act as a mirror due to its smooth surface that reflects light. When light hits the surface of water at a certain angle, it is reflected back, creating a mirror-like effect. This phenomenon is known as specular reflection.
