Reflection
Light, Sound and Waves
Things that happen to light
Physics Narrative
for 11-14
Propagation: transmission; absorption; reflection; refraction modelled by rays
Light propagates from a source. As it travels, there are several characteristic patterns which are named phenomena.
- reflection – at a surface
- absorption – in the body of a material
- refraction – on entry or exit from a material
These paths can be predicted by drawing rays (although the diagram for absorption is not very instructive). The simple patterns formed by the rays can be used to think about the design of more complex optical devices, such as prisms and lenses.
