The light is reflected at 45° angle as well
Explanation:
A mirror works on the principle of reflection.
In optics, reflection occurs when a ray of light hits the surface of a certain material and it bounces back into the original medium.
Since the light ray is reflected back into the original medium, its speed (which depends on the medium) does not change, nor does its frequency.
The direction of the ray of light, instead, changes, according to the law of reflection, which states the following:
- Defining the following quantities:
Angle of incidence: angle between the direction of the incident ray and the normal to the surface
Angle of reflection: angle between the direction of the reflected ray and the normal to the surface
We have:
1) The normal, the incident ray and the reflected ray all lie on the same plane
2) The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence ([tex]\theta_r = \theta_i[/tex]).
In this problem, we have light striking a mirror at 45° angle: this means that the angle of incidence is 45°. Therefore, according to point 2), the angle of reflection must be 45° as well.
Learn more about reflection and other optical phenomena:
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