Most of the light that strikes a mirrored surface is not absorbed by the material. Instead, this light bounces off the reflective surface. Since the mirror is flat, the light rays are not randomly scattered. Instead, they travel together side-by-side as a reflected beam. The beam keeps travelling on a straight path until it strikes another surface.
Things Required:
Torch
Clay
Target bull’s-eye
Tape
Several small hand mirrors
Directions:
Draw a target bull’s-eye. Use tape to attach the bull’s-eye to the wall.
Dim the lights in the room. Turn on the torch. Aim the beam at the target. It is not too hard to do. Let’s make this a little more difficult as you observe the reflective properties of mirrors.
Set a small mirror in a lump of clay. Position this mirror on a desktop. Aim your beam of light at the mirror. You may have to set the torch in some clay to secure its position. Adjust the mirror so that the beam of the torch may be reflected upon the target.
Set up a second mirror in a lump of clay. Position this mirror a few feet away from the first mirror. Now adjust both mirrors so that the beam may bounce from the first to the second. The final reflected beam should hit the bull’s-eye target.
How many more mirrors can you add to this setup?
This Is What Happens:
Light that struck the surface of the mirror was reflected in another direction. This reflected beam struck another mirror and was reflected again. Eventually, the beam was projected onto the target. The target surface was not a mirror. It did, however, reflect light. This reflected “spot” was detected by your eyes.
