Question

Natasha reflects a light ray off of a smooth surface shown in the image above. She measures the angle of incidence (shown in red) at 43 degrees. If she increases the angle of incidence, what should she infer about the angle of reflection? A The angle of reflection would increase due to its direct relationship with the angle of incidence B. The angle of reflection would decrease due to its indirect relationship with teh angle of incidence C The angle of reflection should stay the same as light always travels through air at the same speed D. The angle of reflection would definitely change, but in a random, non-predictable way. ​

Answer 1

Increasing the angle of incidence will cause the angle of reflection to increase as well due to the direct relationship between the two angles as stated by the law of reflection.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Natasha increases the angle of incidence for a light ray off of a smooth surface, the angle of reflection would also increase. This is because, according to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. This law is always true, regardless of the material from which the surface is made as long as it is smooth enough to prevent scattering of light.

When Natasha measures an angle of incidence of 43 degrees and then increases that angle, we can infer that the light ray's angle of reflection would correspondingly increase to maintain this equality. Hence, the correct answer would be A: The angle of reflection would increase due to its direct relationship with the angle of incidence.