Specular reflection

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/specular-reflection

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the phenomenon type?Regular reflection of waves from a smooth surface
2. What is the historical foundation?Early descriptions by Hero of Alexandria; comprehensive formulation by Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham)
3. Why do mirrors show a clear image?Because the mirror’s surface is smooth, light reflects in a predictable way following the law of reflection, keeping the same angle.
4. How does the law of reflection work?The law says the angle the light hits the surface is the same as the angle it leaves, and all three lines (incoming, outgoing, and a line straight up from the surface) lie in one flat plane.

Specular reflection: The mirror-like reflection of waves from a surface where the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
Diffuse reflection: The scattering of waves in many directions from a rough or irregular surface.
Law of reflection: A physics law stating that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, with all rays and the normal in the same plane.
Surface normal: A line perpendicular to a surface at a given point, used as a reference for angles in reflection and refraction.