Question

In an experiment designed to measure the speed of light, a laser is aimed at a mirror that is 69 km due north. a detector is placed 213 m due east of the laser. the mirror is to be aligned so that light from the laser reflects into the detector. when properly aligned, what angle (in degree) should the normal to the surface of the mirror make with due south?

Answer 1

To properly align the mirror so that the light from the laser reflects into the detector, the normal to the surface of the mirror should make an angle of 90 degrees with due south.

Step-by-step explanation:

To properly align the mirror so that the light from the laser reflects into the detector, we can use the concept of the Law of Reflection. This law states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. The angle of incidence is the angle between the incident light ray and the normal to the surface of the mirror, and the angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected light ray and the normal to the surface of the mirror. Since the laser is aimed due north and the detector is placed due east, the light ray from the laser will approach the mirror at an angle of 90 degrees to the surface. This means the normal to the surface of the mirror should make an angle of 90 degrees with due south. Therefore, the angle that the normal to the surface of the mirror should make with due south is 90 degrees.