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Chapter 9: Problem 3

The law of reflection establishes a definite relationship between the angle of incidence of a light ray striking the boundary between two media and its angle of reflection. Describe this relationship.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection is that they are always equal, as stated by the law of reflection. This means that when a light ray strikes a boundary between two media, it is reflected with the same angle as the angle of incidence, with both angles being measured with respect to the normal.

Step by step solution

01

Define angle of incidence and angle of reflection

The angle of incidence is the angle formed between an incoming light ray and the normal (a line perpendicular to the surface) at the point where the light ray strikes the boundary between two media. The angle of reflection is the angle formed between the reflected light ray and the normal at the same point. Both these angles are measured with respect to the normal.
02

State the law of reflection

The law of reflection states that when a light ray strikes the boundary between two media, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Mathematically, this can be represented as: θ_i = θ_r where θ_i is the angle of incidence and θ_r is the angle of reflection.
03

Describe the relationship between angle of incidence and angle of reflection

The law of reflection establishes a definite relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection. According to this law, the angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection, regardless of the media involved and their properties. This means that if a light ray strikes a boundary between two media with a certain angle, it will be reflected with the same angle. The normal line at the point of incidence is the reference for measuring both angles.

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