CLASS: FORM TWO
TOPIC: SUMMARY NOTES ON REFLECTION
REFLECTION OF LIGHT
Few Notes on Light
● Light is a form of energy that transfers from one place to another.
● Light travels in a straight line, referred to as a ray.
● A ray of light demonstrates the property of light travelling in straight paths.
● Examples of objects that emit light include:
○ The Sun
○ Fireflies
○ Light bulbs
Reflection of Light
● Objects are visible because light is reflected off them into our eyes. For example, the
Moon is visible because it reflects sunlight.
● Light can only reflect when it strikes a polished or smooth surface, such as a plane
mirror.
● A plane mirror is a flat, smooth surface that reflects light.
● The reflection of light is the property of light that causes light to bounce back after
striking a polished surface.
● There are two types of reflection namely:
➢ Regular Reflection: Occurs on smooth, shiny surfaces like mirrors, where
reflected rays are parallel.
➢ Diffuse Reflection: Occurs on rough surfaces, where reflected rays scatter in
different directions.
Law of Reflection
● An incident ray is a light ray arriving at the mirror’s surface.
● The normal is an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface of the mirror at the point of
incidence.
● The reflected ray is the ray of light that bounces off the surface
● A ray diagram shows what happens to light rays during reflection.
● The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
○ Mathematically: ∠i = ∠r, where:
■ ∠i = Angle of incidence
■ ∠r = Angle of reflection
NB: Learn how to draw the ray diagram from your cambridge science learners’ book.
