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Lesson 3 Reflection

This document discusses the behavior of light when it reflects off objects. It introduces the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Students learn how to measure and record these angles using mirrors, ray boxes, and protractors. They also explore the differences between specular and diffuse reflection and how images are formed by plane mirrors.

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MeowofyGacha
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77 views

Lesson 3 Reflection

This document discusses the behavior of light when it reflects off objects. It introduces the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Students learn how to measure and record these angles using mirrors, ray boxes, and protractors. They also explore the differences between specular and diffuse reflection and how images are formed by plane mirrors.

Uploaded by

MeowofyGacha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Big Idea: Light is a wave which can be detected by the eye and is interpreted by the brain.

Lesson 3: Reflection
Learning Intentions: To understand how light behaves when it reflects off an object. To know the
law of reflection. To measure the angle of reflection with a protractor.

Starter: Lesson 3
Starter Review
Last lesson we looked at
When light reaches an object it can do one of three things:
• Absorbed
• Reflected
• Transmitted

What happens to light when it is not reflected?


Some of it is absorbed (as heat)
Some of it is transmitted
There are some items on the front bench… how would you arrange
them from the best to the worst reflectors of light?
Good and bad reflective materials
Use the following words to fill in the blanks: Shiny
Rough
Smooth
Dull

shiny smooth

dull rough
Student idea-space
Reflection

• All objects, even black ones


reflect a little.

• So if all objects reflect a bit of


light, why can we see our
reflections in a mirror but not for
example the table?
Light reflecting off a surface. Simulation.
We will investigate in which direction the light Student idea-space
reflects after it strikes a reflective surface.

First run the


simulation on
Firefly, lesson
3. If YOU had
to make a law
of reflection
what would it
be?
Light reflecting off a surface. Simulation.
You might say…
The angle the light goes in at is the same as
the angle the light goes out at.
BUT

We need to be clear how we measure the


angle, we have an imaginary line at right
angles to the mirror, we call this the NORMAL.
The Law of Reflection

The angle of incidence between the ray and the


normal is equal to the angle of reflection between
the ray and the normal.

Copy this law down


Measuring reflection
Place a plane mirror in the space shown in your booklet so that the normal is at right
angles to the mirror. Draw around it so that if you knock the mirror you can put it back in
exactly the same place..
Use a ray box to shine an incident ray at the mirror, where the normal meets the
mirror, like in the simulation. BE CAREFUL… the ray box gets HOT

Draw in the incident and reflected rays.


Measure the angles of incidence [i] and reflection [r]
and record the results. Your teacher will show you
how.
Repeat for another five angles of incidence.
Use a mirror with 3 rays.
Place your mirror on the page and draw the three rays that the light box sends
at the mirror, then draw the reflected rays.
So how about crinkly tinfoil?
Try wrapping the mirror in crinkly tinfoil, then see what happens
to the incident rays. Can you describe it?
Types of reflection: copy these notes below your diagrams.

Light reflection from


a smooth surface. The light rays stay
in formation so the parts of an image
stay together. The scientific name for
this is specular reflection.

Reflection from a rough surface


cannot keep the rays together. Light
is scattered and so no image is
made. This is called diffuse
reflection.
Types of reflection
solo task
Moon Diffuse
Label each of these objects as
specular if you can see a Mirror Specular
reflected image in them or
diffuse if they just reflect light in Rusty metal Diffuse
all directions.
Polished metal Specular

Wavy water e.g. at the beach Diffuse

Still water e.g. a lake Specular

A rough wooden table Diffuse

A highly polished wooden table. Specular… nearly…


see picture
Describing the Image: Distance and Size.
A plane mirror reflects light regularly so that it produces a clear image which is the
same size as the object and appears to be the same distance behind the mirror as the
object is in front.
Describing the Image:
What is different about the image?

Add this to your notes.


We say the image is Laterally inverted…. This means flipped sideways.
Just for fun.
Our faces are not totally symmetrical, the pictures below show what people would look like if their
faces were left symmetrical or right symmetrical. You can look at your picture on Firefly and use a
mirror to see what you would look like.
Questions
1.
2.
3.

Draw the mirror in the right place in the drain and


draw light rays from the torch to Jenny’s eye.
Plenary
What makes a good reflector?

What is a diffuse reflection?

What is a specular reflection?

Describe an image formed in a plane mirror.

What is the law of reflection?

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