Did you know that when light hits the reflective surface of a standard silver mirror, the mirror reflects 95% of it?When the light hits the reflective surface of a mirror, it is bounced in a particular way; this means when light hits at a low angle, it is reflected at the same low angle, and when the light hits at a high angle, it is reflected in the same direction. Hence, you should know how to use mirrors to make the most of the properties of the surface, knowing how light rays hit it.We look in the mirror to reaffirm ourselves and to look at places where our eyes can’t reach, and a mirror apparently does wonders by showing us the same thing that’s in front of it! The ray of light traveling in the air near us bounces back from the mirror and makes our world less dark. Is it the way that these rays move really magic? What is specular reflection? Let’s find out!After you have understood all about the mirror and its thin layer of backing, do check how do neon lights work and how do ships float.What is a mirror, and how does it work?A mirror is an object that shows whatever is in front of it. But there’s more; what constitutes a mirror is a glass surface that is coated on one side, behind the smooth glass, with a metal reflecting a clear image of whatever we keep in front of it.When rays of light bounce back from a mirrored surface, it will show an image that is formed when the mirror reverses the direction of the image at an equal but opposite angle (from which the light was shining upon it). The light that bounces back in all directions is known as diffuse reflection. A diffuse reflection is what helps us see the image formed in the mirror.The law of reflection says that when a ray of light falls on a reflecting surface, the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence. All three angles are normal to the surface at a point that is the angle of incidence. The working of a mirror revolves around this very law.What are the three types of mirrors?The three major types of mirrors and their basic properties are as follows.Plane mirror. A plane mirror forms images reflected in normal proportions but in the reversed direction, specifically left to right. These are the most common and widely used mirrors.Concave mirror. A concave mirror is a spherical mirror and is curved outwards. The image that is formed is virtual, diminished, and unlike a real object.Convex mirror. Another type of spherical mirror is a convex mirror that is curved inward, and the images that are created on this mirror depend on where the object is placed.How do mirrors reflect?While reading all this about reflection, have you been wondering if only a mirror can reflect? Hold up, what about the magic liquid, water? How come water reflects images as well?The reflective ability of a mirror is owed to its power of bouncing back light. As water has the capacity to bounce back light as well, it becomes a reflecting surface like a mirror. The difference in the wave impedance of water and air means water reflects light.And what about the reflection itself? For a mirror to reflect light, its property of being electrically conductive comes in handy. As light is an electromagnetic field, when a mirror is hit by light rays, the electric field parallel to the mirror gets canceled out by the side of the mirror that is metal, causing it to change directions and ‘reflect’ away.In a plane mirror, the image is in the reversed direction, and the objects appear backward as the reflection of the object depicts the photons of light that are bouncing back in the same direction from which they came. Also, it’s common to think that mirrors reverse left and right, but in reality, they don’t. They flip the front and back, and nothing else.Another fascinating question about the workings of mirrors is why mirrors seem to reverse left and right but not up and down. As already mentioned, they reverse front to back. So, how does that work? When you look at your pretty face in the mirror and point at it, the only time the direction in which you’re pointing will be reversed will be when you point towards or away from the mirror, and you will see no change in the direction when you’re pointing sideways.Due to our brain’s habit of rotating images, as we are used to seeing people in front of each other, mirrors don’t reverse the images left and right, but we do in our brains. This is one of the most simple yet ignored facts, and people still seem to think mirrors reverse left and right when all they have to do to check if they believe in the right thing is to lie on their side and look into the mirror. What you witness is a mirror image and no reversal at all. If you pick an apple in your left hand and look into the mirror, your reflection would appear to be holding the apple in your right hand. But think clearly, if your friend were standing in front of you, from your side, their left hand would appear to be on your right one. That is precisely how mirrors work. They don’t reverse anything, but as we are used to reversing the world’s images 180°, we think the reflection we are seeing is reversed.This concept of a ‘mirror image’ isn’t difficult to get, but it is easily missed.The very process of reflection is interesting, and it’s not just about mirrors. If you’re a science person, you must be aware of the conservation of energy, or even if you aren’t, you must have heard it some time or another. The whole point of this topic is that energy can never vanish. All it can do is recycle. No matter what you do and how you do it, you can’t make energy go away. The fact that’s surprising to some people is that you can’t even create it. The most you can do with energy is to convert it from one form to another.There is no possible way of making conservation of energy go away. When you put an object in front of a mirror, you see this theory in action. Light is a form of energy that travels at a very high speed, and when an object is hit by it, where do you think that energy will go? It can’t disappear, as we just discussed. This is when the reflection of light comes into the picture (pun intended).Although, that is not the only thing that can happen to light energy. Other than being reflected, light energy can also get absorbed if the surface isn’t smooth enough or otherwise incapable of reflecting, and it can also pass through if the surface is transparent. Transparent surfaces have the ability to let light pass through, unlike opaque ones.Are there different qualities of mirrors?There are different qualities of mirrors, and they vary based on the metals they use (coating material), surfaces, glass quality, mirror thickness, and other factors. To judge a mirror’s quality, you must ensure that the glass is without inconsistencies and does not absorb more light. Remember to consider some important factors before choosing a mirror. Consider the flatness of the sheet of glass (how smooth is it?). Think about the purity of the sheet of glass (is it nice and clean?). Finally, make a judgment about the reflective coating on its surfaces, choosing metals such as aluminum or silver.Mirrors are essential not only because of the element of decoration they provide but mainly because of the reflections they reflect or bounce.To see is one of our most significant gifts, and when we need to see ourselves (and behind us), we understand the importance of mirrors. Mirrors also help some of us see not only ourselves but the rest of the world too. Spherical mirrors are used in optical devices. Some important terms related to spherical mirrors are as follows: aperture (the point from where reflection takes place), focus (any virtual point where light rays become parallel to the principal axis and converge after reflecting from the mirror), and focal length (the distance between a mirror or a lens and its focal point. In the case of plain mirrors, this length is infinity as it is half of the radius of curvature).Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘How do mirrors work? Amazing physics facts revealed for curious kids!’ then why not take a look at ‘Budgie care: essential take care guide for pet budgie owners!’ or ‘Chameleon lifespan: interesting facts on their age revealed!’
Did you know that when light hits the reflective surface of a standard silver mirror, the mirror reflects 95% of it?
