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Chapter 29 Vocab
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Reflection | The bouncing back of a particle or wave that strikes the boundary between two media. |
Normal | A line perpendicular to a surface. |
Angle of Incidence | Angle between an incident ray and the normal to a surface. |
Angle of Reflection | Angle between a reflected ray and the normal to a surface. |
Law of Reflection | The angle of incidence for a wave that strikes a surface is equal to the angle of reflection. This is true for both partially and totally reflected waves. |
Virtual Image | An image formed through reflection or refraction that can be seen by an observer but cannot be projected on a screen because light from the object does not actually come to a focus. |
Diffuse Reflection | The reflection of waves in many directions from a rough surface. |
Reverberations | Persistance of a sound, as in an echo, due to multiple reflections. |
Refraction | The change in direction of a wave as it crosses the boundary between to media in which the wave travels at different speeds. |
Wave Front | The crest, trough, or any continuous portion of a 2-D or 3-D wave in which the vibrations are all the same way at the same time. |
Mirage | A floating image that appears in the distance and is due to the refraction of light in Earth's atmosphere. |
Dispersion | The separation of light into colors arranged according to their frequency, by interaction with a prism or diffraction grating, for example. |
Critical Angle | The minimum angle of incidence for which a light ray is totally reflected within a medium. |
Total Internal Reflection | The 100% reflection (with no transmission) of light that strikes the boundary between two media at an angle greater than the critical angle. |
Optical Fibers | A transparent fiber, usually of glass or plastic, that can transmit light down its length by means of total internal reflection. |