Difference between reflection and refraction
Reflection vs refraction:
Visible light or simply the light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. It is no secret that light is essential for us to see around. Light make objects visible reflecting and refracting as well. Reflection and refraction cause confusion as they pronounce alike. But reflection and refraction are completely different theories. Therefore this article shed light on the fact by describing the differences between reflection and refraction.
What is reflection?
Reflection is the process of returning sound or light waves back to their source. To be more descriptive, the change in direction of a wave, such as a light or sound wave, away from a boundary the wave encounters. A mirror provides the most common model for specular light reflection, and typically consists of a glass sheet with a metallic coating where the reflection actually occurs. Reflected waves remain in their original medium rather than entering the medium they encounter. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves. Reflection of light is either specular (mirror-like) or diffuse (retaining the energy, but losing the image) depending on the nature of the interface. If the reflecting surface is very smooth, the reflection of light that occurs is called specular or regular reflection.
In the diagram above, a light ray PO strikes a vertical mirror at point O, and the reflected ray is OQ. By projecting an imaginary line through point O perpendicular to the mirror, known as the normal, we can measure the angle of incidence, θi and the angle of reflection, θr. The law of reflection states that θi = θr, or in other words, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. There are laws regarding reflection. They are norms, universally accepted in relation to reflection. Thus, the first law says the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the reflection surface at the point of the incidence lie in the same plane. When it comes to the angle, of the reflection, the angle which the incident ray makes with the normal is equal to the angle, which the reflected ray makes to the same normal. Final law says that the reflected ray and the incident ray are on the opposite sides of the normal.
What is refraction?
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one substance to another. The bending is caused by the differences in density between the two substances. The change in speed and wavelength at the boundary between two materials also causes light to change direction. The wave generally changes the angle of its general direction. The term is most frequently applied to visible light, but it also applies to all other electromagnetic waves, as well as to sound and water waves. Refractive errors include near-sightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. The physical basis for refraction can be readily understood with the aid of the illustration. The following illustration shows the Snell’s law of refraction.
Its most elementary occurrence (and historically the first one) is in Snell’s law of refraction, n1sinθ1= n2sinθ2, where θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence of a ray crossing the interface between two media with refractive indices n1 and n2. This relationship between the angles is called Snell’s Law. Basically, n is defined as the factor by which the wavelength and the velocity of the radiation are reduced with respect to their vacuum values: The speed of light in a medium is v = c/n, where c is the speed in vacuum. Similarly, for a given vacuum wavelength λ0, the wavelength in the medium is λ=λ0/n. This implies that vacuum has a refractive index of 1. Historically other reference media have been common. In effect, the more a substance is able to bend or refract light, the larger its refractive index value is said to be. Refractive index of materials varies with the wavelength, which is called dispersion.
What is the difference between refraction and reflection?
Refraction and reflection refer to the behaviour that occurs when a wave, such as light, sound, or seismic, encounters a material with different physical properties than what it was traveling in. Although reflection and refraction is similar as they show a representation of an object, there are much differences that similarities. Reflection is caused due to sending back of the light from different medium whereas refraction is caused due to bending of light while travelling from one medium to another medium having difference in refractive index. While reflection result in light bouncing off an object and hitting another clear surface, giving out an object’s mirror-like image, refraction refers to an object’s visual proportion being distorted or refined when passing from one state to another through an angle. Anyway, Total internal reflection is the phenomenon, which is the part of refraction. Refraction may also be involved in sound waves, whereas a reflection is mainly based on light.
The angle of incidence and angle of reflection are the same in the case of reflection. In reflection, if a ray of light strikes a horizontal surface at a 45 degree angle (angle of incidence), it always rebounds at the same 45 degree angle (angle of reflection). These angles are not the same in refraction. Different media participate in refraction makes this angle unequal. When it comes to reflection, mirrors are often use to reflect and also any mirror like surface, such as a surface of lake can reflect any shadow on it. But in case of refraction, lenses are used to refract. Thus, it is clear that our eye makes a living lens, which helps in refraction. Reflections are used in everyday life, for example, hair arrangement, beauty arrangement and in vehicles as well. Refractions are used mainly in researching about light properties, sound editing, anything involving science and refraction is useful in making visual illusions as well.
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