What is the angle of reflection when a ray of light falls normally on a plane mirror?

Question

Answer

As ray of light falls normally on mirror, this means that angle of incidence is 0 degree. From second law of reflection, we know that angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection. So, angle of reflection will also be zero.

Answer

••••  if the ray falls normally in the surface of a plane mirror , then it reflects back to the same path and we know that angle of incidence = angle of reflection hence the angle of reflection will be 0 ••••

Answer

Angle of Reflection when a Ray of Light falls Normally on a Plane Mirror

When a ray of light falls normally on a plane mirror, it means that the incident ray is perpendicular to the mirror's surface. In this case, the angle of incidence is 0 degrees. According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. Therefore, the angle of reflection when a ray of light falls normally on a plane mirror is also 0 degrees.

Explanation:
The Law of Reflection:
The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. This law applies to all types of reflections, including the reflection of light waves. When a ray of light strikes a surface and reflects, the angle at which it strikes the surface (angle of incidence) is equal to the angle at which it bounces off the surface (angle of reflection).

Normal Incidence:
When a ray of light falls normally on a plane mirror, it means that the incident ray is perpendicular to the mirror's surface. In other words, the angle of incidence is 0 degrees. The normal to a surface is an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence. Since the incident ray is perpendicular to the mirror's surface, the normal and the incident ray are parallel.

Angle of Reflection:
According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. In this case, since the angle of incidence is 0 degrees, the angle of reflection is also 0 degrees. This means that the reflected ray will be in the same direction as the incident ray, but on the opposite side of the mirror. The reflected ray and the incident ray will form a straight line perpendicular to the mirror's surface.

Visual Representation:
To visually represent this scenario, imagine a ray of light traveling towards a plane mirror. As the ray of light reaches the mirror, it strikes the mirror's surface perpendicularly. Upon reflection, the ray of light bounces back in the same direction, forming a straight line perpendicular to the mirror's surface. This can be observed by imagining a normal line perpendicular to the mirror's surface, intersecting both the incident and reflected rays at the point of incidence and reflection.

In conclusion, when a ray of light falls normally on a plane mirror, the angle of reflection is 0 degrees, as per the law of reflection.

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