D. When light hits an object, it is transmitted, absorbed, and/or reflected
The light on the left is reflected, the light in the middle is absorbed and the light on the right is transmitted. Any object you can see must at least partially reflect light to your eyes. Objects can ALSO absorb and/or transmit light.
Law of Reflection
"Normal" is the imaginary line that is perpendicular to the object. Whether a surface is smooth or bumpy, light ALWAYS obeys the Law of Reflection
Click on this link to see the video we saw in class on reflection.
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3. Reflected - light that bounces off a surface
a. All objects reflect some light to be visible b. Highly polished surfaces such as mirrors are opaque because most of the visible light is reflected, none is transmitted and very little is absorbed c. When light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence (incoming light) is equal to the angle of reflection (outgoing light) – called “Law of Reflection” i. If you shine a narrow beam at a highly polished surface (like a mirror), you get a narrow beam of light reflected back off it (called specular reflection) ii. If you shine a narrow beam of light at a rough surface, the light scatters in all directions, (called diffuse reflection) but still obeys Law of Reflection How Light Reflects
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Compare light that reflects off a smooth and rough surface
When light reflects off a surface, it obeys the Law of Reflection (the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection), whether or not the surface is smooth. The light is reflecting off the flower to the water and then back to your eye. In the wavy water, the some of the light is scattered so you do not see a perfect reflection. If the water was even more disturbed - for example, stormy and very wavy - you might not see the reflection at all because the light is even more scattered so that it does not reach your eyes.
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