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| The bouncing back of a particle or wave that strikes the boundary between two media. |
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| A line perpendicular to a surface |
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| Angle between an incident ray and the normal to a surface. |
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| Angle between a reflected ray and the normal to a surface. |
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| The angle of incidence for a wave that strikes a surface is equal to the angle of reflection. This is true for both partially and totally reflected waves. |
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| An image formed through reflection or refraction that can be seen by an observer but cannot be projected on a screen because light from the object does not actually come to a focus. |
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| The reflection of waves in amy directions from a rough surface. |
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| Persistence of a sound, as in an echo, due to multiple reflections. |
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| The change in direction of a wave as it crosses the boundary between two media in which the wave travels at different speeds. |
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| The crest, trough, or any continuous portion of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional wave in which the vibrations are all the same way at the same time. |
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| A floating image that appears in the distance and is due to the refraction of light in Earth's atmosphere. |
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| The separation of light into colors arranged according to their frequency, by interaction with a prism or diffraction grating, for example. |
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| The minimum angle of incidence for which a light ray is totally reflected within a medium. |
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| total internal reflection |
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| The 100% reflection (with no transmission) of light that strikes the boundary between two media at an angle greater than the critical angle. |
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| A transparent fiber usually of glass or plastic, that can transmit light down its length by means of total internal reflection. |
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