Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A laser beam of power W meets a flat surface at an angle of incidence of , measured from the normal. Use m/s. Find:
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. The beam brings the momentum nN each second, along its direction. Split it into a part along the normal and a part along the surface.
Step 1. The mirror. Only the normal part reverses, so the change is twice that part: . The part along the surface does not change, so there is no force along the surface.
Step 2. The black surface, along the normal. .
Step 3. The black surface, along the surface. .
Step 4. The total. , which is along the beam.
Answer: nN; nN; nN; nN.
Watch out. The mirror gets twice the normal force of the black surface at the same angle. At this is the familiar factor of two.
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A wave of energy carries the momentum . Light that is absorbed gives the force , and light that is reflected straight back gives twice that. For a beam of power that meets a mirror at an angle to the normal, along the normal.