It's Your Turn

Answer the questions below in your own words. Use specific personal examples and explain your reasoning.

Question 1: When a Reflection Looked “Clear” vs “Blurry”

Think about two real situations you've seen:

one where a reflection was very clear (like a mirror or calm water)
one where a reflection was distorted or scattered (like rough water, paper, or a wall)

Describe both situations.

Based on what you observed, explain why one surface produced a sharp image while the other did not.
In your explanation, describe how the surface affects the way light reflects.

Question 2: Explaining Mirror Behavior to Someone Else

Someone at home is adjusting a mirror and says:

“I don’t get why I have to tilt the mirror a certain way just to see myself.”

Explain to them why changing the angle of the mirror changes what they see.

In your explanation:

describe what happens to the incoming light
explain how the angle of reflection relates to the angle of incidence
use everyday language (no equations)

Question 3: Predicting Where Light Will Go

A laser pointer is aimed at a flat mirror on a table. The beam hits the mirror at an angle and reflects across the room.

Without drawing an actual diagram, explain how you would predict the direction of the reflected beam.

In your answer, describe:

where the normal line would be
how the incident ray and reflected ray relate to each other
how you would use that information to determine the path of the light