Physics › Section R · Electromagnetic waves and geometric optics › Topic R.3
Rays and the law of reflection
Most of what you see is light that has bounced off something. Treating light as straight-line rays, and knowing one simple rule for how those rays bounce, explains shadows, pinhole cameras, mirrors, glare on a wet road and the reflectors on a bicycle.
In this topic
- How light reaches your eyes
- The ray model of light
- Worked example: a pinhole camera
- Describing a reflection
- The law of reflection
- Worked example: turning a mirror
- Specular and diffuse reflection
- Images in a plane mirror
- Worked example: a corner reflector
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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