“Why is the sky blue?” is a common question. The amount of scattering depends on how big the particle is compared to the wavelength of light that is hitting it. Some light is scattered in all directions when it hits very small particles such as gas molecules or much larger particles such as dust or droplets of water. If imaginary lines are traced back, they appear to come from a focal point behind the mirror.Ĭonvex mirrors are useful for shop security and rear-view mirrors on vehicles because they give a wider field of vision. Parallel rays of light strike the mirror and are reflected outwards. The inside curve of a spoon is an example of a concave mirror It is possible to make mirrors that behave like humps or troughs, and because of the different way they reflect light, they can be very useful. This is because the reflecting surface is no longer flat and may have humps and troughs caused by the wind. However, if there are ripples or waves in the water, the reflection becomes distorted. When the water in a lake or sea is very still, the reflection of the landscape is perfect, because the reflecting surface is very flat. With a flat mirror, it is easy to show that the angle of reflection is the same as the angle of incidence. If you measure the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection against the normal, the angle of incidence is exactly the same as the angle of reflection. If you want to measure these angles, imagine a perfectly straight line at a right angle to the reflective surface (this imaginary line is called ‘normal’).
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