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Q:
When light hit a mirror, does it reflect off at a 90 degree?
- teckkian (age 12)
Tampines North Primary School, SIngapore
A:
Teckkian -
No, light will not necessarily be reflected off a mirror at a 90 degree angle. When light is reflected by a mirror, it ’bounces’ off at the same angle from the mirror that it came in at. It’s like this:
(from
The Physics Classroom)
In the picture above, the angle is roughly 90 degrees. That’s because the angle of incidence (the angle that it comes in at) is about 45 degrees. Since the angle of reflection (the angle that it goes out at) is the same, the total angle is 45+45=90. If the light comes in at a different angle, though, it will be bent accordingly:
(also from
The Physics Classroom)
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)
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