When light or any other form of energy strikes a surface, it bounces back. This bouncing back is known as reflection. The angle at which the light or energy bounces back is called the angle of reflection. The angle of reflection plays an important role in understanding the behavior of light and energy.
Definitions
The angle of reflection is defined as the angle between the reflected ray and the normal to the surface at the point of incidence. It is the angle made by the reflected ray with the incident ray. The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence.
Origin
The concept of the angle of reflection was first introduced by the Greek mathematician Euclid in the 3rd century BC. He studied the behavior of light and how it interacts with surfaces. The concept was later developed by other scientists and mathematicians such as Isaac Newton and Rene Descartes.
Meaning in different dictionaries
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the angle of reflection is “the angle made by a reflected ray with a perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of incidence.”.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the angle of reflection as “the angle formed by a reflected ray with a perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of incidence.”.
Associations
The angle of reflection is closely associated with the angle of incidence, which is the angle between the incident ray and the normal to the surface at the point of incidence. The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are always equal.
The angle of reflection is also associated with the law of reflection, which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
Synonyms
Some synonyms of the angle of reflection include:
- Reflected angle.
- Bounce angle.
- Reflective angle.
Antonyms
There are no antonyms of the angle of reflection.
The same root words
There are no other words that share the same root words as the angle of reflection.
Example Sentences
- When light strikes a mirror, the angle of reflection is the same as the angle of incidence.
- The angle of reflection is an important concept in optics and physics.
- The angle of reflection can be used to calculate the position of an object in space.