Reflection/Refraction

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. The law of reflection says that

a. the angle of reflection from a mirror equals the angle of incidence.
b. waves incident on a mirror are partially reflected.
c. all waves incident on a mirror are reflected.
d. the angle a ray is reflected from a mirror is random.
____ 2. When a virtual image is created in a plane mirror
a. the image is upright.
b. the image is located behind the mirror.
c. reflected rays diverge.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
____ 3. The reason we can read print from any direction is that
a. the white part of a page reflects light in all directions.
b. letters emit black light in all directions.
c. letters absorb black light from all directions.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
____ 4. An echo occurs when sound
a. is transmitted through a surface.
b. is reflected from a distant surface.
c. changes speed when it strikes a distant surface.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
____ 5. Diffuse reflection occurs when the size of surface irregularities is
a. larger than 1 m in diameter.
b. large compared to the wavelength of the light used.
c. small compared to the wavelength of the light used.
d. larger than 1 cm in diameter.
e. none of the above
____ 6. It is difficult to see the roadway from a car on a rainy night because the road surface
a. is obscured by the rain itself.
b. that is normally a diffuse reflector when dry becomes a mirror surface when wet.
c. absorbs the light more when wet.
d. scatters light in all directions.
____ 7. Refraction is caused by
a. different wave speeds.
b. more than one reflection.
c. displaced images.
d. bending.
____ 8. Refraction occurs
 a. when a wave changes speed.
b. only at a wave front.
c. at any unpredictable time.
d. only with light waves.
e. all of the above
____ 9. You can hear noises a long distance away over water at night because
a. of lowered temperature.
b. water conducts sound better at night.
c. sound is reflected off water more efficiently at night.
d. of refraction of sound in air.
____ 10. A penny lies in the bottom of a tea cup filled with water. As you look down on the penny, compared to its
actual depth, it looks
a. closer.
b. farther away.
c. at the same depth.
____ 11. A mirage can occur
a. when cooler air is above hotter air.
b. when there’s a layer of hot air close to the ground.
c. on a hot day.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
____ 12. When you see a "wet spot" mirage on the road in front of you, you are most likely seeing
a. water.
b. hot air.
c. a figment of your imagination.
d. sky.
e. none of the above
____ 13. A beam of light emerges from water into air at an angle. The beam is bent
a. away from the normal.
b. not at all.
c. 48 degrees upward.
d. 96 degrees upward.
e. towards the normal.
____ 14. When a light beam emerges from water into air, the average light speed
a. remains the same.
b. decreases.
c. increases.
____ 15. The effect that we call a mirage has most to do with
a. reflection.
b. refraction.
c. diffraction.
d. interference.
e. scattering.
____ 16. A person standing waist-deep in a swimming pool appears to have short legs because of light
a. refraction.
 b. interference.
c. diffraction.
d. reflection.
e. absorption.
____ 17. Different colors of light travel at different speeds in a transparent medium. In a vacuum, different colors of
light travel at
a. the same speed.
b. different speeds.
____ 18. The explanation for a filled root beer mug looking fuller than it is involves
a. refraction.
b. reflection.
c. both
d. neither
____ 19. The spectrum produced by a prism or a raindrop is evidence that the average speed of light in the material
depends on the light's
a. transmission qualities.
b. color.
c. wave nature.
d. particle nature.
____ 20. The shortest plane mirror in which you can see your entire image
a. is half your height.
b. is twice your height.
c. is equal to your height.
d. cannot be determined.
e. depends on how far the mirror is from you.
____ 21. When you look at yourself in a pocket mirror and then hold the mirror farther away, you see
a. less of yourself.
b. more of yourself.
c. the same amount of yourself.
____ 22. A beam of light travels fastest in
a. air.
b. water.
c. plastic.
d. glass.
e. Its average speed is the same in each of the above.
____ 23. Which of the following is a consequence of the refraction of light?
a. rainbows
b. mirages
c. internal reflection
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
____ 24. Stars twinkle when seen from Earth at night. When seen from the moon, stars
a. twinkle less.
b. twinkle more.
c. don't twinkle.
____ 25. In a curved optical fiber, light
a. gains energy in each internal reflection.
b. internally reflects in a succession of straight-line paths.
c. bends and follows the curve of the fiber.
d. scatters in random directions from the fiber's inner surface.
____ 26. A rainbow nicely illustrates an example of light
a. internal reflection.
b. refraction.
c. both A and B
d. neither A nor B

True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.

____ 27. The law of reflection says that all light reaching a boundary between two surfaces is reflected.

____ 28. When you look at the image of a candle in a plane mirror, you see a real image.

____ 29. Diffuse reflection occurs when light is reflected in many directions from a rough surface.

____ 30. Reflection occurs when one part of a wave travels more slowly than another part.

____ 31. Mirages occur because of the reflection of light on a hot day.

____ 32. The separation of light into colors arranged according to their frequency is dispersion.

____ 33. The critical angle is the angle at which light just grazes the surface of a substance

____ 34. Total internal reflection occurs when a light ray hits a surface at an angle greater than the critical angle.

____ 35. When a wave reaches a boundary between two media, in most cases some of the wave is reflected and some is
refracted.

____ 36. A line perpendicular to a surface is called a normal line.

____ 37. A line that represents the position of a wave crest is called a wave front.

____ 38. Sometimes a dry hot road will appear to be wet because of atmospheric refraction.

____ 39. When you shine a waterproof light from underwater toward the surface of the water, there is a certain angle at
which no light is refracted above the water and all the light is reflected back.

Essay

40. Explain why you can hear better in an auditorium that has grooves in the walls than in one with flat walls.
41. What is refraction? Why does it occur? Give examples of sound refraction and light refraction.

42. What is a mirage? When are mirages formed? Give an example of a mirage you have seen.

43. What is a rainbow? How is it formed? Be specific.

44. What is total internal reflection? When does it happen? Why do diamonds sparkle so much?
Reflection/Refraction
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. ANS: A DIF: 1 REF: p. 444 OBJ: 29.1

STO: Ph.4.f
2. ANS: D DIF: 2 REF: p. 445 OBJ: 29.3
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
3. ANS: A DIF: 1 REF: p. 447 OBJ: 29.4
STO: Ph.4.f
4. ANS: B DIF: 1 REF: p. 447 OBJ: 29.5
STO: Ph.4.f
5. ANS: B DIF: 2 REF: p. 446 OBJ: 29.4
STO: Ph.4.f
6. ANS: B DIF: 3 REF: p. 446, p. 447
OBJ: 29.4 STO: Ph.4.f
7. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 448 OBJ: 29.6
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
8. ANS: A DIF: 1 REF: p. 448 OBJ: 29.6
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
9. ANS: D DIF: 1 REF: p. 449, p. 450
OBJ: 29.7 STO: Ph.4.f
10. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 452 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
11. ANS: D DIF: 2 REF: p. 452 OBJ: 29.9
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
12. ANS: D DIF: 1 REF: p. 453 OBJ: 29.9
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
13. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 451 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
14. ANS: C DIF: 2 REF: p. 451 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
15. ANS: B DIF: 1 REF: p. 452 OBJ: 29.9
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
16. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 453 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
17. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 454 OBJ: 29.10
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f
18. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 452 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
19. ANS: B DIF: 2 REF: p. 454, p. 455
OBJ: 29.10 STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f
20. ANS: A DIF: 3 REF: p. 462 OBJ: 29.3
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
21. ANS: C DIF: 3 REF: p. 462 OBJ: 29.3
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
22. ANS: A DIF: 2 REF: p. 451 OBJ: 29.8
 STO: Ph.4.f
23. ANS: D DIF: 2 REF: p. 452, p. 453, p. 454, p. 455, p. 456, p. 457
OBJ: 29.9, 29.10, 29.11, 29.12 STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f
24. ANS: C DIF: 3 REF: p. 451 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
25. ANS: B DIF: 1 REF: p. 459 OBJ: 29.12
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
26. ANS: C DIF: 2 REF: p. 455, p. 456
OBJ: 29.11 STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f

TRUE/FALSE

27. ANS: F DIF: 1 REF: p. 444 OBJ: 29.2

STO: Ph.4.f
28. ANS: F DIF: 2 REF: p. 445 OBJ: 29.3
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
29. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 446 OBJ: 29.4
STO: Ph.4.f
30. ANS: F DIF: 1 REF: p. 448 OBJ: 29.6
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
31. ANS: F DIF: 1 REF: p. 452 OBJ: 29.9
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
32. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 455 OBJ: 29.10
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f
33. ANS: F DIF: 1 REF: p. 457 OBJ: 29.12
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
34. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 457 OBJ: 29.12
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
35. ANS: T DIF: 2 REF: p. 458 OBJ: 29.12
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
36. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 451 OBJ: 29.8
STO: Ph.4.f
37. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 449 OBJ: 29.6
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
38. ANS: T DIF: 1 REF: p. 453 OBJ: 29.9
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
39. ANS: T DIF: 2 REF: p. 457 OBJ: 29.12
STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f

ESSAY

40. ANS:
Grooves in a wall reflect sound in many different directions so you hear all parts of an orchestra at once. With
flat walls, you hear some parts of the orchestra better than other parts and you depend on other reflections to
direct all parts of the orchestral sound to your ears.

DIF: 3 REF: p. 447, p. 448 OBJ: 29.5

STO: Ph.4.f
41. ANS:
Refraction is the bending of light or sound as it passes from one medium to another. Light and sound are
refracted because they travel at different speeds in different media. Sound refraction occurs at concerts on hot
summer days when it is often difficult to hear the band. It also is responsible for noises traveling better across
water at night than in the daytime. Lenses work because of light refraction. A pencil in a glass of water will
appear broken because of light refraction.

DIF: 3 REF: p. 448 OBJ: 29.6 STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f

42. ANS:
A mirage is something seen in a different place than it really is. It occurs when light is bent as it passes
through different temperature layers in the atmosphere. "Wet pavement" seen on a hot summer day is an
example of a mirage.

DIF: 3 REF: p. 452, p. 453, p. 454 OBJ: 29.9

STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f
43. ANS:
A rainbow is the result of dispersion of light by water droplets. When light enters a water droplet, it is
refracted. Because each color (wavelength) is refracted at a slightly different angle, dispersion occurs. After
light is reflected within the droplet and refracted a second time as it leaves the droplet, more dispersion
occurs. The result is that we see different colors of light, depending on which droplets we are looking at and
at which angle we are viewing a single droplet.

DIF: 3 REF: p. 455, p. 456 OBJ: 29.11

STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.e, Ph.4.f
44. ANS:
Total internal reflection is the complete reflection of light from inside an object. It happens when light strikes
the inner surface at an angle greater than the critical angle for the material. Different materials have different
critical angles, because the speed of light varies from material to material. Light travels most slowly in a
diamond, which has the smallest critical angle known. This small critical angle means that much of the light
inside a diamond is totally internally reflected. In a diamond gemstone, total internal reflection occurs at each
of the many facets oriented in many directions -- hence the sparkle of a diamond.

DIF: 3 REF: p. 457, p. 458, p. 459 OBJ: 29.12

STO: Ph.4.c, Ph.4.f