Rule for determining how a wave will reflect. It states that that the reflected angle of wave motion should equal the incident angle of wave motion. These angles are mesured by comparing the direction of wave motion to an imaginary line drwan perpendiclarly (normal) to the reflecting suface. Click to see a graphic description of these angles. Back to Wave Index
Experimental observation that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. This is true not only of the reflection of light by a surface but is true in many mechanical situations as well. The law of reflection is discussed on this page of this module.
For a reflected light ray, . In other words, a ray of light reflects of a surface in the same plane as the incident ray and the normal, and at an angle to the normal that is equal to the angle between the incident ray and the normal.
The angle of the incoming ray is equal to the angle of the exiting ray.
The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Reflecting Light
When light travels from a less dense to a more dense optical material, the rays are bent toward the normal. When a light ray travels from a more dense to a less dense optical material, the rays are bent away from the normal.
For the reflection of light from a smooth surface, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.