Light is all around us. It not only lets us see in the dark, but the properties of light are important to many aspects of our lives. Reflections in rear-view mirrors of cars help to keep us safe. Refraction through lenses of eyeglasses or contact lens helps some people see better. Dispersion of light explains the formation of rainbow and interference of light explains the formation of different colors in a soap bubble.

Reflection of light

Reflection is the phenomenon in which light traveling in one medium, incident on the surface of another returns to the first medium. It is governed by the laws of reflection which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Reflection of light from a plane and curved mirrors forms images of different type.

Key terms

• Reflection is the phenomenon in which light traveling in one medium, incident on the surface of another returns to the first medium.