![]() The light wave not only changes directions at the boundary, it also speeds up or slows down and transforms into a wave with a larger or a shorter wavelength. The transmission of light across a boundary between two media is accompanied by a change in both the speed and wavelength of the wave. ![]() Only now, the direction of that line is different than it was in the former medium. Once the light has crossed the boundary between the two media, it continues to travel in a straight line. The refraction occurs only at the boundary. However, when light passes from one medium into a second medium, the light path bends. (These two angles are labeled with the Greek letter "theta" accompanied by a subscript read as "theta-i" for angle of incidence and "theta-r" for angle of reflection.) The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.Īs light travels through a given medium, it travels in a straight line. The angle between the reflected ray and the normal is known as the angle of reflection. The angle between the incident ray and the normal is known as the angle of incidence. The normal line divides the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray into two equal angles. This line is known as a normal line (labeled N in the diagram). At the point of incidence where the ray strikes the mirror, a line can be drawn perpendicular to the surface of the mirror. The ray of light that leaves the mirror is known as the reflected ray (labeled R in the diagram). In the diagram, the ray of light approaching the mirror is known as theincident ray (labeled I in the diagram). The diagram illustrates the law of reflection. If a ray of light could be observed approaching and reflecting off of a flat mirror, then the behavior of the light as it reflects would follow a predictable law known as the law of reflection. Light is known to behave in a very predictable manner.
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