What is the angle of reflection?

The angle of reflection is defined as the angle between the reflected ray and the normal to the surface at the point of reflection. According to the law of reflection, when a ray of light strikes a reflective surface, the angle of incidence, which is the angle between the incident ray and the normal, is equal to the angle of reflection. This means that for every incident ray hitting a surface, the ray that bounces off (the reflected ray) will form an equal angle with the normal line drawn perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.

In this context, the normal is crucial because it acts as the reference line from which both the angles of incidence and reflection are measured. Understanding the relationship between these angles is fundamental in optics, allowing us to predict how light behaves when it encounters different surfaces.