A light ray is a straight line drawn perpendicular to waves and points in the direction of the waveβs travel. They are used to describe the behaviour of light. Lasers are a common example of light that are often modelled as rays.
When light passes through a medium, it can be reflected, transmitted, or absorbed. Reflection occurs when there is a greater difference between the two mediums, and the reflected wave will have a lesser amplitude than the incident wave.
Law of Reflection
The Law of Reflection states that: where
- Incident Ray: A ray that hits a surface
- Reflected Ray: A ray that reflects off a surface
- Specular Reflection: All rays are parallel and the surface is smooth, so all rays that enter reflect in the same way
- Diffuse Reflection: A non-smooth surface causes rays to diffuse and spread randomly
