physics Flashcards
Normal
90 degrees from the surface
incident ray
ray of light going toward the surface
reflected ray
ray light coming away from the surface
i°
angle of incidence
r°
angle of reflection
law of reflection
angle of I° is equal to r°
specular reflection
light meeting the surface in one direction is all reflected in one direction.
diffuse scattering
When light is reflected off a surface in all directions.
density
mass / volume
refraction
process which a wave changes speed and direction when entering a different density.
refraction into denser material does what to the ray
it bends towards the normal
refraction into a less dense material does what to the ray
it bends away from the normal
spectrum of light
A series of similar waves arranged in order of wavelength or frequency.
frequency
The number of waves produced each second. measured in hertz (Hz).
dispersion
Spreading out of the different wavelengths of light, caused by refraction of light as it passes through a prism.