Physics
Physics
Problem
A light ray is incident on a plane mirror at an angle of to the normal. (i) Calculate the angle of reflection. (ii) Determine the angle between the incident and the reflected rays.Intuitive explanation
The law of reflection is your key tool here: the angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal (the perpendicular to the mirror surface). Once you know the reflection angle, visualize the geometry of the two rays to find the angle between them—think about how the incident ray comes in and the reflected ray bounces away, and use the fact that angles on either side of the normal add up in a specific way.
Intuitive explanation
The law of reflection is your key tool here: the angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal (the perpendicular to the mirror surface). Once you know the reflection angle, visualize the geometry of the two rays to find the angle between them—think about how the incident ray comes in and the reflected ray bounces away, and use the fact that angles on either side of the normal add up in a specific way.