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Abby Everett Reflection Reflection is defined as the change in the direction of light because it bounces off a reflective surface.

Several different things affect the reflection of light, texture being one of them. Flat mirrors have a lot to do with reflection. One type of reflection is total internal reflection. Texture affects how light is reflected. Diffuse reflection is when light is reflected off of a rough surface for example, paper, cloth or unpolished wood. Specular reflection is when light is reflected off of a smooth surface, for example a mirror or water in a pond. Flat mirrors reflect light at a different angle than originally produced. There are two different types of angles produced, the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection. The angle of incidence is the angle between the normal line and the incidence ray. The angle reflection is the angle between the normal line and the reflected ray. The Law of Reflection states that the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are equal. However, these two angles are only equal when light is reflected from a smooth surface. A lot of light rays hit a mirror in a variety of directions, but only a few of these reflected rays travel to your eyes. When you see an object in the mirror, the reflected ray will travel from the mirror to your eye along the line of sight, but not all people will see the object in the mirror along the same geometrical line of sight. The line of sight depends on the location of the object, location of the person, and the type of mirror. Since all people see reflected rays of light as they see an image in the mirror, then the image location must be the intersection point of these reflected rays.

A type of reflection is total internal reflection. Total internal reflection is the complete reflection of light back into its original medium. Basically, this type of reflection is light that is bouncing off of an internal surface. For example, if you have a fiber optic cable and shine a laser into it at an angle, then the light from the laser will bounce off of the inside of the cable. In conclusion, reflection happens because the direction of light changes because it reflects off of a reflective surface. Texture affects how light is reflected. Flat mirrors produce two different types of angles when light is reflected. Not all of the light rays that hit a mirror travel to your eye.

Citations

Serway, R. A., & Faughn, J. S. (2009). Physics. Austin: Holt Hewitt, Paul G.. Conceptual Physics. Upper Sadle River : Pearson Education, 2009. Print. Reflection of Light and Image Formation. (n.d.). Reflection of Light and Image Formation. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/u13l3b.cfm

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