When light travelling in a given
medium strikes any surface, a part of the incident light bounces back into the
same medium. This phenomenon is called reflection.
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| Light reflected from a surface |
Thus in reflection, the path of
light rays changes its direction without any change in the medium of light.
Reflection is of two types:
Regular reflection
When the reflecting surface is smooth and well polished, the parallel
rays of light incident on it are reflected parallel in one particular
direction. This is known as regular reflection.
The regular reflection gives rise to
image formation.
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| Regular reflection |
Irregular reflection
When is reflecting surface is
rough, the parallel rays falling on it are reflected in different directions.
Such a reflection is known as irregular reflection or diffused reflection. No
clear image is formed in case of irregular reflection.
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| Diffused or irregular reflection |
