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The ray (torch beam) is reflected off the shiny surface of the mirror at an angle. It doesn't retrace its path unless the ray hits the mirror at 90 degrees. It is known as the angle of reflection. A bouncing ball shows the same effect.

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Why does a ray falling normally on a plane mirror retrace its path?

When a ray falls normally on a plane mirror, it is reflected back along the same path due to the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Since the incident angle is zero degrees, the reflected ray also follows the same path.


What direction does a plane mirror reflect light when the beam is aimed perpendicular to it?

A plane mirror reflects light back in the same direction from which it came, regardless of the angle of incidence. This means that if the beam of light is aimed perpendicular to the mirror, it will be reflected back along the same path.


What errors can be introduced by the thickness of the mirror in a plane mirror experiment?

The thickness of the mirror in a plane mirror experiment can introduce parallax error, where the reflected image appears to shift due to the position of the observer. It can also cause slight distortions in the reflection due to the change in path length for light rays as they reflect off the thicker part of the mirror.


What are the conditions for seeing the image of an object in a plane mirror?

-- Light has to shine on the object, and some of it has to reflect off of the object. -- Some of the reflected light has to make it to the mirror. There can't be any physical obstruction in the path. -- The mirror has to be clean enough so that some of the light hitting the mirror is reflected away from it. -- Your eye has to be on the path taken by the light after it reflects from the mirror.


Why light ray retrace its path when passes through center of curvature of a concave mirror?

Because the center of curvature is defined to be in the direction of the normal. remember that a reflecting angle of light, relative to the normal, equals minus the angle of the beam that hit the mirror, relative to the normal. since the center of curviture is in the direction of the normal. A beam going through it would be with an angle of zero, and there for return with an angel of (minus) zero. In other words it comes back in the same direction.

Related Questions

Why does a ray falling normally on a plane mirror retrace its path?

When a ray falls normally on a plane mirror, it is reflected back along the same path due to the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Since the incident angle is zero degrees, the reflected ray also follows the same path.


Why light ray retrace its path when passes through center of curvature?

The light ray passing from the centre of curvature is perpendicular or normal to the the sphere of which the concave mirror is a part . because the ray from centre to mirror will act as the radius and we know that radius is perpendicular to the tangent at the point of contact. hence angle of incidence = 0 degree , so angle of refraction will also be 0 degree , hence the ray will retrace its path .Read more: Why_light_ray_retrace_its_path_when_passes_through_centre_of_curvature_of_a_concave_mirror


What direction does a plane mirror reflect light when the beam is aimed perpendicular to it?

A plane mirror reflects light back in the same direction from which it came, regardless of the angle of incidence. This means that if the beam of light is aimed perpendicular to the mirror, it will be reflected back along the same path.


What errors can be introduced by the thickness of the mirror in a plane mirror experiment?

The thickness of the mirror in a plane mirror experiment can introduce parallax error, where the reflected image appears to shift due to the position of the observer. It can also cause slight distortions in the reflection due to the change in path length for light rays as they reflect off the thicker part of the mirror.


What are the conditions for seeing the image of an object in a plane mirror?

-- Light has to shine on the object, and some of it has to reflect off of the object. -- Some of the reflected light has to make it to the mirror. There can't be any physical obstruction in the path. -- The mirror has to be clean enough so that some of the light hitting the mirror is reflected away from it. -- Your eye has to be on the path taken by the light after it reflects from the mirror.


Why light ray retrace its path when passes through center of curvature of a concave mirror?

Because the center of curvature is defined to be in the direction of the normal. remember that a reflecting angle of light, relative to the normal, equals minus the angle of the beam that hit the mirror, relative to the normal. since the center of curviture is in the direction of the normal. A beam going through it would be with an angle of zero, and there for return with an angel of (minus) zero. In other words it comes back in the same direction.


What are the values of angle of incidence and angle of reflection for normal incidence of light on a plane mirror?

put a real answer on here, not Study and youll "Know" not now


What is a virtual path in computer networking?

mirror the actual path of the network


Can you change the path of light?

use a mirror to change the path of light.


What is plan mirror?

A plane mirror is a mirror with a planar reflective surface. For light rays striking a plane mirror, the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence. The angle of incidence is the angle between the incident ray and the surface normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface). Therefore the angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected ray and the normal and a collimated beam of light does not spread out after reflection from a plane mirror, except for diffraction effects.


What are the values of angle of incidence and angle of reflection for normal incidence of light on a plane mirror surface?

For normal incidence of light on a plane mirror surface, the angle of incidence is 0 degrees and the angle of reflection is also 0 degrees. This means that the light ray hits the mirror surface perpendicularly and reflects back along the same path.


Why is the image of an object reflected from plane mirror called a virtual image?

The image formed in a plane mirror is called a virtual image because it appears to be behind the mirror at a location where the light rays do not actually converge. This image cannot be projected onto a screen, as it is a result of the apparent path the light rays take when reflected.