Difference Between Reflection and Refraction

Difference Between Reflection and Refraction - A Complete Guide

Edited By Vishal kumar | Updated on Sep 24, 2024 06:21 PM IST

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$Difference Between Reflection and Refraction - A Complete Guide$

Difference Between Reflection and Refraction - A Complete Guide

Differentiate between reflection and refraction

Two important phenomena in geometrical optics are reflection and refraction. Reflection describes light bouncing off a surface. Refraction tells us about the bending of the path of the light as the light passes from one material to another.

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What is reflection and refraction?

Reflection, which is light bouncing off a surface and can be compared much like a ball bouncing off the floor or a wall, is the simplest process for changing the direction that light travels in.

Refraction takes place when the path that the light travels bends as it goes from one material into another. It occurs only in transparent materials. A smooth sheet of metal reflects most of the light rays because the light can’t enter the metal, but on the contrary a piece of glass refracts the light because some of the light goes through the surface.

Difference between Reflection and Refraction in a tabular form

The Difference between Reflection and Refraction are mentioned below:-

S.No	Parameters	Reflection	Refraction
1.	Definition	Reflection is considered as the bouncing back of light when it falls on a surface.	Refraction is considered as the bending of rays of light when it travels from one medium to another medium.
2.	Surface	It takes place on shiny surfaces that allow bouncing back of light without passing through it.	It takes place in the transparent surface that allows the bending of light rays to a different medium.
3.	Type	It follows two forms of reflection i.e. regular reflection and diffused reflection.	It follows a single form of refraction.
4.	Occurrence	It takes place only in mirrors.	It takes place only in lenses.
5.	Nature of light	Here, the light ray bounces back in the same direction.	Here, the light ray passes from one medium to another.
6.	Speed of Light	The speed of light does not vary.	The speed of light is changed from one medium to another.
7.	Medium of propagation	The medium of propagation of light remains the same.	The medium of propagation of light gets changed.
8.	Angles of reflection and incidence	The angle of incidence and reflection are the same.	The angle of incidence and refraction are different.

Now, as we have discussed the difference between reflection and refraction, let us discuss more about reflection and refraction.

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There are two laws of reflection:

The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
The ray of incidence, the ray of reflection, and the normal drawn at the point of incidence, to the mirror, occurs on the same plane.

There are two types of reflection:

Regular reflection:- It is also known as specular reflection. It occurs when a beam of light falls on a smooth, regular and polished surface.

Irregular reflection:- It is also known as diffused reflection. It occurs when the beam of light falls on the rough surface and reflects light in different directions.

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There are two laws of refraction:-

1. According to the first law of refraction, the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence and the sine of the angle of refraction is constant in any two given mediums.

2. The second law states that the incident ray, the refracted ray and normal ray at the interface of any two given mediums, all lie in the same plane.

Reflection and Refraction Examples

Some examples where reflection takes place are plane mirror, rear view mirrors, astronomical reflecting telescope, microscopes, etc.

Some examples where refraction takes place are prisms, glass slabs, water, Glass of water with a spoon in it, Oil in a glass bottle, Lens, etc.

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NCERT Physics Notes:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the difference between reflection and refraction of light?

The difference between reflection and refraction of light is that reflection describes light bouncing off a surface whereas refraction deals with the bending of the path of the light as the light goes from one material to another.

2. Write the difference between reflection and refraction in a tabular form.

The difference between reflection and refraction of light is as follows:-

S.No	Parameters	Reflection	Refraction
1.	Definition	Reflection is considered as the bouncing back of light when it falls on a surface.	Refraction is considered as the bending of rays of light when it travels from one medium to another medium.
2.	Surface	It takes place on shiny surfaces that allow bouncing back of light without passing through it.	It takes place in the transparent surface that allows the bending of light rays to a different medium.
3.	Type	It follows two forms of reflection i.e. regular reflection and diffused reflection.	It follows a single form of refraction.
4.	Occurrence	It takes place only in mirrors.	It takes place only in lenses.
5.	Nature of light	Here, the light ray bounces back in the same direction.	Here, the light ray passes from one medium to another.
6.	Speed of Light	The speed of light does not vary.	The speed of light is changed from one medium to another.
7.	Medium of propagation	The medium of propagation of light remains the same.	The medium of propagation of light gets changed.
8.	Angles of reflection and incidence	The angle of incidence and reflection are the same.	The angle of incidence and refraction are different.