Difference between Reflection and Refraction

What is reflection?

Light reflection occurs when a light beam strikes a polished, smooth surface and reflects back. After striking the surface, the incident light rays reflect off of it. The ray that returns is referred to as a reflected ray. It would be typical for a reflecting surface to have a perpendicular. When light rays hit a shiny, slick reflecting surface, they bounce back, which is referred to as reflection or reflection of light. We may see ourselves in the plane mirror because of light reflection. Light from our interaction with the plane mirror is reflected, allowing us to see our virtual reflection on it. All waves, including those that originate on the water's surface, electromagnetic waves, sound waves, and light waves, cause reflection. The rules that control how a light wave is reflected are known as the Laws of Reflection. The angle of incidence and angle of reflection made by the light wave on the smooth reflecting surface are equal according to two fundamental principles of reflection. Additionally, the incident ray, regular reflection ray, incident angle, and reflected angle are all situated on the same plane.

This article will teach us what exactly does light reflect? Light reflection through a plane mirror, laws governing reflection, its different types, and frequently asked questions about it.

Laws of reflection

• When incident light strikes mirrors, polished metal, or crystal-clear water, incident light rays are reflected in accordance with the rules of reflection. The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal all lie in the same plane, according to the law of reflection.
• Angle of reflection = Angle of incidence

Types of Reflection of Light

Several types of reflection of light are discussed below:

• Regular reflection (also known as specular reflection).
• Multiple reflection
• Diffused reflection

1. Regular/ Specular reflection

A specular reflection is a clear and distinct reflection, like the ones you see in mirrors. On a mirror, a homogeneous layer of anything highly reflective, such powder, is placed to glass. Almost all of the light that reflects off of this surface does so uniformly. The angles of reflection at various locations don't vary all that much. As a result, there is essentially no haze or blurring.

2. Diffused reflection

Reflective surfaces that aren't mirrors frequently have an extremely rough surface. This could be brought on by surface dirt or wear and tear indicators, such as scratches and dents. Sometimes, even the material used to build the surface might be significant. All of this reduces the reflection's quality and brightness. On such uneven surfaces, the angle of reflection is mostly random between places. When rays strike rough surfaces, they are reflected in vastly different directions even if they touch slightly different locations on the surface. Diffuse reflection is the form of reflection that allows us to view non-shiny objects.

3. Multiple reflection

When an object is positioned in front of a mirror, only one picture is produced. What occurs when we employ two mirrors? A single light source can reflect light more than once because of the extraordinary capacity of reflecting surfaces like mirrors to maintain the intensity of light in a reflection. All these reflections are possible until the light is too weak for us to see. Therefore, the number of possible multiple reflections is practically unlimited. We can perceive an image in every mirror. Each image is therefore a derivative of another image or an image of another image.

The angle formed by the two mirrors affects the amount of images we can see. There are more images as the angle between the mirrors decreases, as can be seen. Additionally, there are infinitely many images when the angle is zero, or when the mirrors are parallel. You might see this impact right away when the barber shows you the back of your head in a different, smaller mirror. When this occurs, you see countless images of yourself in addition to the back of your head. A straightforward formula can be used to illustrate how the angle between two mirrors affects the number of images of an object that is placed between them.

We are aware that light is a form of energy and that it is capable of going through a variety of processes, such as polarisation, diffraction, reflection, and refraction. When light bends as it passes through one medium and then into another, the phenomenon of refraction takes place.

What is refraction?

Refraction is the wave's bending as it passes through various mediums. Due to the two materials' different densities, the bending is brought on.

Defining refraction

Refraction is defined as "the change in a wave's direction as it passes through a medium." Although light refraction is one of the most frequently seen phenomena, refraction can also occur with sound and water waves. We can use optical tools like lenses, prisms, and magnifying glasses thanks to refraction. We can focus light on our retina thanks to light refraction as well.

Reasons for reflection

Variation in speed results in a direction change. When a light beam enters an angled medium with a dissimilar refractive index, it refracts. A change in direction results from this acceleration. As an example, consider air entering water. The speed of light decreases as it continues to move at a different angle. The illustration above depicts how light is refracted by glass. Light slows down and slightly modifies direction as it moves from air through glass. Refracted light bends more in the direction of the normal line as it moves from a less dense substance to a denser one. If the light wave reaches the border in a perpendicular direction, the light ray does not refract despite the speed difference.

Laws of refraction of light

According to the equations of refraction, the incident ray, refracted ray, and normal to the interface of two media all lie on the same plane at the point of incidence, and the proportion of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant. Additionally called Snell's law of refraction.

Refraction of light in real life

• The terms "mirage" and "looming" refer to optical deceptions caused by light refraction.
• Because of light refraction, a swimming pool always appears shallower than it actually is because light from the bottom bends at the surface.
• A rainbow forms as a result of the sun's light being refracted as it travels through raindrops.
• White light splits into its component colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet when it travels through a prism due to refraction.

Applications of refraction of light

There are numerous uses of refraction in optics and technology. Here is a list of several popular applications:

• A lens uses refraction to create a picture of an object for a variety of purposes, including magnification.
• People with poor vision use glasses that work on the refraction principle.
• Peepholes on home doors, cameras, movie projectors, and telescopes all use refraction.

Difference between Reflection and Refraction

When light strikes a medium on a plane, reflection is the act of the light reflecting. Refraction is the process by which a material changes the route that light takes as it passes through it, causing the light to bend. So, the main distinction between reflection and refraction is this. Mirrors are where this phenomenon typically occurs.