Reflection and Refraction of Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic waves: Electromagnetic waves, which include light, infrared, ultraviolet, and radio waves, transmit energy. They can travel through a vacuum at a speed of approximately 300,000 km/s.
Reflection of electromagnetic waves: When electromagnetic waves encounter a reflective surface, they bounce back. The angle at which the wave strikes the surface (incident angle) is identical to the angle at which it bounces off (reflected angle).
Laws of reflection: The law of reflection states that the incident angle equals the reflected angle. Also, the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.
Refraction of electromagnetic waves: When electromagnetic waves enter a different medium, their speed and direction change, a phenomenon known as refraction. For instance, light slows down when it moves from air into a glass and it bends towards the normal.
Laws of refraction: Snell’s law describes the relationship between angles of incidence and refraction. It states that the ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant when a wave passes from one medium into another.
Optically dense materials: Different media slow electromagnetic waves by different amounts. More optically dense materials, such as diamond or glass, slow down light more than less dense materials, like air or water.
Index of refraction: The index of refraction of a material is a measure of how much that material slows down electromagnetic waves relative to their speed in a vacuum.
Total internal reflection: This can occur when a wave travelling in a medium hits the boundary with a less optically dense medium at an angle larger than a certain critical angle. Instead of refracting, the wave reflects back into the medium.
Wave characteristics: Electromagnetic waves reflect, refract and diffract. Reflection involves a wave bouncing off a surface. Refraction is the change in direction and speed when a wave moves from one medium to another. Diffraction is the bending of a wave around obstacles or through gaps.
Uses in technology: These properties of reflection and refraction are useful in many technologies. For instance, mirrors and lenses rely on reflection and refraction to focus light, while fibre optics use total internal reflection to transmit data over long distances.
Involve electromagnetic waves in your predictive analysis: Quantitative calculations often revolve around predicting how electromagnetic waves will behave when they encounter different mediums, objects or changes in media density. Understanding the principles of reflection and refraction can assist in making these predictions.