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Reflection Practice

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Reflection Practice

Harper, Caleb, and Ethan are building a light-sensing robot. Use the reading and visuals to solve their reflection challenges. Remember: the angles made by incoming and reflected rays are measured from the normal, an imaginary line perpendicular to the reflecting surface.

Quick reference

Reflection happens when light bounces off a surface. A smooth, shiny surface usually produces a clear, orderly reflection. A rough surface scatters reflected light in many directions. The law of reflection says the incoming-ray angle equals the reflected-ray angle. Both angles are measured from the normal, not from the mirror surface.

1.At the point where a light ray hits a mirror, Harper measures the angle between the incoming ray and the normal. What is this angle called?

Angle of incidence
Angle of reflection
Angle of the mirror
Scattering angle

2.Caleb shines a flashlight at a clear window. Some light passes through it. Which term describes light passing through a material rather than bouncing from it?

3.The robot needs a clear reflection so its sensor can detect a light beam reliably. Which surface is the best choice?

A clean, flat mirror
A crumpled sheet of paper
A piece of black felt
A rough wall

4.A light ray strikes a plane mirror at an incoming-ray angle of 28° from the normal. What is its reflected-ray angle, measured from the normal?

5.Ethan records a reflected-ray angle of 42°. What must the incoming-ray angle be, and what law supports your answer?

6.A ray makes an angle of 70° with the flat mirror surface. What angle does it make with the normal?

7.The robot’s beam reflects from a sheet of white paper and spreads in many directions. Is this regular reflection or diffuse reflection? Explain what the paper’s surface does to the reflected light.

8.Draw the full setup: a mirror, a normal at the point where the ray hits the mirror, and an incoming ray making a 35° angle with the normal. Then draw the reflected ray and label its angle. Use the law of reflection.

9.For each trial, find the missing angle. Trial A: incoming-ray angle 15°, reflected-ray angle ____. Trial B: incoming-ray angle ____, reflected-ray angle 63°. Trial C: incoming-ray angle 90°, reflected-ray angle ____. All angles are measured from the normal.

10.A mirror reflects light, but a black sheet absorbs all light that reaches it. Is this statement scientifically accurate? Correct it if needed.

TrueFalse

11.Harper suggests using a mirror rather than white paper to turn the robot’s beam toward a sensor. Explain why the mirror is likely to work better, and name one real-world device that also uses reflection.