Seeing objects
How do we see an object?
The light from the object enters our eye.
Do we see all objects in the same way?
There are two ways we see objects…..
• We see some objects by reflected light.
• We see other objects because they are light sources.
Light sources
How do light rays from a light bulb and
other light sources reach our eye?
They travel in a
straight line directly
into our eye.
Reflected light
How do light rays from a book and other such
(non-luminous) objects reach our eye?
Light from the lamp or
another light source
strikes the book and
some of the light is
reflected into our eye.
What Is a Mirror?
The most familiar type of mirror is a plane
mirror, which has a flat surface.
Plane mirrors are commonly made of a
flat, polished piece of glass with a shiny
metal backing, such as silver or
aluminium.
All of the light hitting the mirror bounces off
it at the same angle to create a clear
reflection.
An image in a mirror appears to be
reversed. For example, if you look in a
mirror and raise your right hand, the mirror
image appears to raise its left hand.
Reflective Surfaces
Different surfaces reflect light in different ways. This determines whether we get a clear
reflection or not.
When the light rays hit a
When the light rays hit a smooth rough surface, they scatter
surface (like a mirror), they all in all different directions,
bounce off at the same angle, so you do not get a clear
creating a clear reflection. reflection.
Reflective materials
Objects that reflect light well:
Have smooth, shiny surfaces
and are usually pale colors.
Give clear images because
they reflect light regularly.
Objects that do not reflect light well:
Have rough, matte surfaces
and are usually dark colors.
Give diffuse images (or do not
give any images).
Reflection : Good or Poor?
Objects which reflect Objects which do not
light well have smooth, reflect light well have
shiny surfaces and are rough, matt surfaces
usually pale colours. and are usually dark
colours.
They give clear images
because they reflect They give no or diffuse
the light regularly. images because they
reflect the light
Mirrors are excellent
irregularly.
reflectors.
Reflection : Good or Poor?
Best
Reflectors
Worst
Reflectors
Arrange these items along the arrow:
Class Discussion:
List 10 examples each for smooth and rough reflective surfaces
Reading in mirrors
Working in group of three, decide who is the ‘timer’, who is the writer and
who is the ‘reader’.
The ‘reader’ has to read words reflected in a mirror. The writer takes a strip
of paper and writes a 5-7 letter word.
They must read each word correctly before moving on to the next.
The ‘timer’ measures the time taken.
The results for the observation from three pairs are recorded on the smart
board in a table like this:
Reading in mirrors
Group Time taken in seconds
Why are the words so
difficult to read in the
mirror –how do
they appear?
What is lateral inversion?
A plane mirror reflects light regularly, so it
produces a clear image that is the same size as the
object.
The image appears the same distance behind the
mirror as the object is in front of it.
What is different about the image compared to
the object?
When an object is reflected in a plane mirror, left
appears as right and right appears as left. This type
of reversal is called lateral inversion.
LAB ACTIVITY
Reflection investigation
Fix a plane mirror to a piece
of paper and draw around it.
Use a ray box to shine a ray of light at
the mirror –plot the path of the ray of
light falling on the mirror and also the
path of reflected ray.
Repeat for one more time. Paste the
sheet in your notebooks.
What do the results show?
Using reflection
Reflection can be very useful.
High-visibility strips are very
reflective and make sure that
this cyclist gets noticed when
there is little light.
How does a periscope use
reflection?
The two plane mirrors
must be positioned at 45°
from the vertical. Light is
reflected at right angles
from the top mirror onto
the bottom mirror and into
the eye of the viewer.
Reflection: summary
