Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain what a light ray represents and draw rays perpendicular to plane and circular wavefronts. (Guide: “Light as a ray”, Figure 1; Practice Q3)
- I can say when the ray model is good enough and name effects, such as diffraction, that need the wave model. (Guide: “When the ray model works, and when it fails”; Practice Q2)
- I can explain why a laser beam can be treated as a single ray in optics experiments. (Guide: “When the ray model works, and when it fails”)
- I can state the law of reflection, with both angles measured from the normal, and say that the rays and the normal lie in one plane. (Guide: “Reflection and the law of reflection”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain specular and diffuse reflection in terms of the direction of the normal over the lit area. (Guide: “Specular and diffuse reflection”, Figure 3; Practice Q6)
Calculation and skills
- I can draw a ray diagram with a ruler, arrows and a dashed normal at each point of reflection. (Guide: “Ray diagrams”; Practice Q5a, Q6a)
- I can convert an angle measured from a surface into an angle of incidence. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q1)
- I can find how far a reflected beam turns when a mirror turns, and how far a spot moves on a distant wall. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
- I can use equal angles and similar triangles to decide where to place a mirror so that a beam hits a target. (Practice Q5)
- I can trace a ray through two mirrors using the angle sum of a triangle. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q7a)
Reasoning
- I can compare what a driver sees on a dry and a wet road and justify the difference with ray diagrams. (Practice Q6)
- I can show that two mirrors at 90° send a ray back antiparallel to its original direction, and explain why the paths are offset. (Practice Q7b, Q7c)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 13.2, Images Formed by Mirrors, or return to the course roadmap.