Explain the laws of reflection and discuss thei... - SS2 Physics Geometrical Optics Question

The laws of reflection describe how light behaves when it reflects off a surface. There are two main laws of reflection:

1. The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal to the surface at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.

2. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

These laws are significant in understanding the behaviour of light during reflection. The first law ensures that the incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal to the surface are coplanar, meaning they all lie on the same plane. This property allows us to predict the direction of the reflected ray accurately.

The second law states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. This means that the incoming ray and the outgoing ray make equal angles with the normal to the surface. This law helps us determine the path of the reflected ray based on the incident angle. It also ensures that the reflected image appears in a predictable location relative to the observer.