LAWS OF REFLECTION
Light travels in straight line until it meets a surface that separates the two media. When light meets the surface, its behavior depends on the nature of the surface and the two media on either side.
Light may be absorbed by the new medium, or transmitted onwards through it, or it may bounce back into the first medium.
The bouncing back of light into the incident ray medium is called Reflection of light.
The light may reflect specularly if the surface is acting as true mirror or it may reflect diffusely, scattering it in all directions if the surface is incompletely polished.
In case of specular reflection, the reflected light obeys the laws of reflection, which states that:
1. The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal ray to the reflecting surface – all lie in the same plane.
2. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. It follows from the laws of reflection that, when an object is placed in front of a plane mirror, the image formed by the mirror lies as far behind the mirror surface as the object lies in front. Also the straight line that joins the object and its reflected image is normal to the mirror surface
OPTOMETRY-SHARP VISION
Optometrist