How does water reflect light?

Answer 1

Water bends (refracts) light waves.

The classic example is a pencil in a beaker of water. From air to water the pencil appears to bend.

So when a light wave in the air strikes water the light wave is bent towards the 'normal'. The 'Normal' is s perpendicular line through the interface of air to water.

The angle of a light wave in air, at the normal may be 60 degrees. As it passes into the water the angle becomes less to say 45 degrees to the normal.

The light waves are an electro-magnetic radiation and have a speed of 3.8 x 10^8 m/s in a vacuum. On passing in to a more dense medium, say air, it will slow down. Water being a more dense medium again, will slow down the light wave more.

Answer 2

Dear Questioner, Reflection is the change in direction of a wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which it originated. xoxo Vanessa Hudgenss[not a scientist] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Second Answer: Relfection is when rays of light bounce off surfaces, so as light travels from air to water, the rays of light bounce off the water, creating a reflection. Hope this helped!

Answer 3

Water, like glass, is denser than air. When light passes through it it actually slows down enough to be seen as a lens effect. In a prism light bends at different angles dependent on the glass thickness.

Answer 4

Water reflects light due to its smooth surface and high refractive index, which causes light to bounce off rather than pass through. The angle at which light hits the water's surface affects the amount of reflection, with a steeper angle leading to more reflection. This is why we see reflections on the surface of calm water bodies such as lakes or ponds.

Answer 5

the water surface is flat, regular reflection of light occurs on the surface.

Answer 6

Yes. This is why you see reflections on the water.

There is a critical angle where light will reflect off water, which is why you can see an image clearly on a body of still water.

Answer 7

Because the light is transmitted through the water