A ray falls on a plane mirror and makes an angle of 28° with the surface of the mirror.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A ray falls on a plane mirror and makes an angle of with the surface of the mirror. Find the angle of incidence, the angle of reflection and the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal. A plane mirror gives a virtual, upright image of the same size, as far behind the mirror as the object is in front, with left and right swapped.
The worked solution
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.
Step 1. Incidence. .
Step 2. Reflection. By the law of reflection, .
Step 3. Between the rays. .
Answer: , and .
Common mistake. is the angle with the surface, not the angle of incidence.
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