Activity: Reflection of Light In this activity students will be exploring reflection of light in a
plane mirror using the “Bending Light” PhET simulation as well as viewing tutorials in Physics
Classroom.
Part 1 – Law of Reflection
Online tutorial – View all slides through Tutorial 1. Open the simulation by clicking on the link:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/bending-light
1 Make sure you have pressed the intro button on the bottom of the page so the screen looks like
the image opposite. Note the “Normal” is the hatched vertical line at 90° to the boundary.
2. Drag the protractor so that the zero lines up with the normal line.
3. Rotate the light source so it is pointing at the 10° angle TO the normal. Measure the light
bouncing OFF the surface only and write it in table 1 (we are ignoring what is happening with
the light in the lower medium for now).
Table 1
Angle of incidence Angle of refraction
10ͦ 10ͦ
20ͦ 20ͦ
30ͦ 30ͦ
40ͦ 40ͦ
50ͦ 50ͦ
60ͦ 60ͦ
70ͦ 70ͦ
80ͦ 80ͦ
1.) Take a screenshot or draw of one of the angles and place it in the space provided below: -
2.) Using your picture and the data you have collected, justify the relationship between the angle
of reflection and the angle of incidence?
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
Part 2 – Images in a plane mirror
Click Part 2 of the Physics Classroom Interactive – Work your way through the information
slides to answer the following questions about how images form in plane (flat) mirrors. Note:
These observations should be consistent for all examples.
1.) How does the size of the image compare to the size of the object? (same size, larger size,
smaller size)?
The image and the object are of the same size.
2.) How does the placement of the image compare to the location of the object (same side of
mirror, opposite side of the mirror)?
Opposite side of the mirror
3.) How does the location of the image compare to the location of the object (closer the mirror,
farther from the mirror, same distance from the mirror)?
Same distance from the mirror
4.) How does the orientation of the image compare to the orientation of the object (same,
reversed)
Same
5.) Is the image inverted compared to the object? (yes, no)
NO
6.) Hold your right hand up while looking in a mirror. If what you see was a real person, which
hand would they be holding up? What would happen to any lettering that is on a T-shirt or
cap? WHY?
They would be lifting the left hand, because the image is in the opposite direction of the
object.
7.) Suppose you can’t see distant objects clearly. If you look at a distant object in a mirror held
close to your face, will you be able to see the distant objects clearly? EXPLAIN
The distant mirror would focus the images such that they are visible. This is the technique
used in convex mirror in vehicle side mirrors.
