Transcript Reflection
Reflection
Interface
Plane waves at an interface
may be absorbed.
• Discontinuity in materials
• Different permittivity
• Scattered wavelets cancel
Materials can be opaque or
translucent.
Backscatter
At a discontinuity some of the
backwards scattered waves
coincide.
This is called reflection.
• Present at all interfaces
Reflected waves also form
rays.
Mirror Glass
Clear materials also reflect at
an interface.
About 4% of the light energy is
reflected at an air-glass
interface.
• Significant if one side is darker
Photo by Michael Goltz
Photo from visit-ChicagoIllinois.com
Specular Reflection
If a surface is smooth then the
reflected rays travel in parallel.
This is called specular
reflection.
Diffuse Reflection
If the surface is rough then
reflected rays travel in different
directions.
This is called diffuse reflection.
Measuring Reflection
Geometry describes a single
ray reflected from a surface.
The normal is a line
perpendicular to the surface at
the point the ray strikes.
Angles are measured with
respect to the normal.
• Incident angle qi
• Reflected angle qr
Laws of Reflection
The relationship of the angles are called the laws of
reflection.
• Incident ray, reflected ray and the normal are all in the same plane
• Angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence: θi = θr
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