Question

What are the laws of reflection and refraction?

Hint:

Reflection: \( i = r \) Refraction: \( \frac{\sin i}{\sin r} = n \) (Snell’s Law)

Answer 1

Concept: Reflection and refraction describe how light behaves when it interacts with surfaces or different media. Laws of Reflection: First Law: The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane. Second Law: The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. \[ \angle i = \angle r \] Laws of Refraction (Snell’s Laws): First Law: The incident ray, refracted ray, and the normal at the point of incidence lie in the same plane. Second Law (Snell's Law): For a given pair of media, the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant. \[ \frac{\sin i}{\sin r} = \text{constant} = n \] where \( n \) is the refractive index of the medium. Refractive Index Formula: \[ n = \frac{\text{Speed of light in vacuum}}{\text{Speed of light in medium}} \]