Light - Reflection and Refraction Mind Map

Reflection is the bouncing back of light into the same medium after it strikes a surface.

If the ray returns after striking a smooth surface, write reflection; if it bends into a new medium, write refraction.

The laws of reflection state that the incident ray, reflected ray, and normal lie in one plane, and angle of incidence equals angle of reflection.

In ray diagrams, always draw the normal first; most marks are lost because of wrong angle marking.

A spherical mirror is a mirror whose reflecting surface forms part of a sphere.

Always identify the reflecting surface first; inner surface means concave, outer surface means convex.

The focal length is the distance between the pole of a mirror and its principal focus.

If the question gives radius of curvature, remember f = R/2 for a spherical mirror.

The mirror formula relates object distance, image distance, and focal length for spherical mirrors.

Write the sign convention before starting the calculation; it saves many mistakes.