With which phenomenon is the angle of reflection equal to the angle of incidence?

With which phenomenon is the angle of reflection equal to the angle of incidence?

• A. Specular Reflection
• B. Diffuse Reflection
• C. Refraction
• D. Scattering

Answer: (A)

The main idea is the law of reflection: when light hits a smooth, mirror-like surface, the angle at which it arrives relative to the surface’s normal is exactly equal to the angle at which it leaves the surface, again measured from the normal. This precise equality happens in specular reflection, which is what you see from a polished mirror and other smooth surfaces, producing a clear image. If the surface is rough, each tiny patch has its own normal, so the reflections go off in many directions and you don’t get a single equal-angle pair—that’s diffuse reflection. Refraction involves bending light as it passes into a different medium, and the angles change according to Snell’s law, not as equal incidence and reflection. Scattering is light deflected in many directions by particles, also not about equal angles of incidence and reflection.

The main idea is the law of reflection: when light hits a smooth, mirror-like surface, the angle at which it arrives relative to the surface’s normal is exactly equal to the angle at which it leaves the surface, again measured from the normal. This precise equality happens in specular reflection, which is what you see from a polished mirror and other smooth surfaces, producing a clear image. If the surface is rough, each tiny patch has its own normal, so the reflections go off in many directions and you don’t get a single equal-angle pair—that’s diffuse reflection. Refraction involves bending light as it passes into a different medium, and the angles change according to Snell’s law, not as equal incidence and reflection. Scattering is light deflected in many directions by particles, also not about equal angles of incidence and reflection.