Reflections in mirrors | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

The first law of reflection states that when light reflects, the angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of ______.
- 'incidence' ✓
When a light ray reflects, the two rays and the normal are all in the same __________.
- flight
- plane ✓
- space
- line
The diagram shows the reflection of a light ray. What is the name of the imaginary line, drawn as a dashed line?
- right angle
- ordinary
- ray
- boundary
- normal ✓
The diagrams show a light ray reflecting from a mirror. In which diagram is the angle of reflection marked?
A pupil uses a ray box and a mirror to investigate reflection. To measure angles, they use a protractor with markings that are 1° apart. Which of the following statements are correct?
- The ray box produces a single ray of light.
- The ray box produces a single beam of light. ✓
- The pupil can measure angles to the nearest degree. ✓
- The pupil can measure angles to the nearest tenth of a degree.
A pupil investigates the angles of reflection for different angles of incidence when light reflects off a mirror. The table shows the results. Which of the following conclusions is correct?
- The angle of reflection equals angle of incidence. ✓
- The angle of reflection does not equal angle of incidence.
- The angle of reflection is not related to angle of incidence.
- The angle of reflection sometimes equals angle of incidence.

Exit quiz

A person stands in front of a mirror. Which of the following describes the path that light takes so that the person can see their nose in the mirror?
- From the eye to the mirror, then to the nose.
- From the nose to the mirror, then to the eye. ✓
- From the nose to behind the mirror, then to the eye.
- From the eye to behind the mirror, then to the nose.
A child holds a toy and looks into a mirror. In the mirror, they can see __________ of the toy.
- an image ✓
- a copy
- a picture
- a drawing
Which of the following are definitions of the word ‘reflection’?
- A ray that has bounced off a mirror.
- An image seen in a mirror. ✓
- The process of light hitting a surface.
- The process of light bouncing off a surface. ✓
Which of the following terms describe how images in mirrors appear compared to the object?
- rotated
- laterally inverted ✓
- upside–down
- the right way up ✓
A child holds a marble in front of a mirror, 10 cm away from the mirror. The child sees the marble in the mirror. How far apart do the real marble and the image of the marble in the mirror seem to be?
- 0 cm
- 5 cm
- 10 cm
- 15 cm
- 20 cm ✓
The photo shows two candles with a sheet of glass between them. The nearer candle is lit. The candle behind the glass seems to be burning, even though it is not. Which of the following explains why?
- You see the real candle behind the glass, with a real flame.
- You see the real candle behind the glass, but an image of a flame. ✓
- You see an image of the candle behind the glass, but the real flame.
- You see an image of the candle behind the glass, with an image of a flame.

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Light reflects from mirrors obeying the laws of reflection. Some reflects into our eyes causing an image to be seen.
The image in a mirror is located where the light rays seem to have come from.
A reflection appears to be directly opposite the object, the same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front.
The image in a mirror is the right way up but is laterally inverted.

Common misconception

Ideas about the nature of light and reflections are often taken for granted at this stage and simple misconceptions often persist, e.g. that all reflections appear to be on the surface of mirrors.

Give pupils practical experience of systematically investigating reflections, e.g. measuring the apparent location of a mirror image. Explicitly assess for misconceptions about the location and visibility of mirror images of an object.

Keywords

Reflection - this word has two meanings: 1. the process of light 'bouncing off' a surface, 2. an image seen in a mirror
Image - a representation of an object
Laterally inverted - describes an image that has been 'flipped' horizontally (as occurs in mirror images)