Question

Explain the following terms: Incident ray, Reflected ray, Angle of incidence, Angle of reflection, Normal.

Answer 1

Hint:The given terms are the terms that are used in the ray optics. Incident ray is the ray that strikes the surface whereas reflected ray is the ray that bounces back from the surface. The angle made by the incident ray and reflected ray with the normal are known as angle of incidence and angle of reflection.

Complete answer:
Incident ray: An incident ray is the ray that strikes the interface separating two Medias after emitting from the source of light. The incidence ray is the ray that is either refracted or reflected to form an image.
Reflected ray: A reflected ray is the ray that is thrown back from the interface on which the incident ray strikes. The ray of light that bounces back from the interface is known as reflected ray. The reflected does not follow the same path as that of the incident ray.
Angle of incidence: The angle of incidence is defined as the angle between the ray incident on the interface and line that is perpendicular to the surface that is at a point of incidence.
Angle of reflection: The angle between the ray that is reflected back from the interface and the line that is perpendicular to the surface is known as angle of reflection.
Normal: A normal is defined as the line that is perpendicular to the surfaceTherefore, we can say that the ray incident at right angle to the interface separating two Medias is known as normal.

Note:We know that the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane. Also, the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection can be explained with the help of Snell’s law. The ratio of angle of incidence and the angle of reflection is always constant.