Through the Looking Glass: Reflection Mirrors Lenses Quiz

This is the fundamental rule for mirrors: light bounces off at the exact same angle it hits.

Concave surfaces "cave in," causing light rays to move toward a central focal point.

Plane mirrors create a virtual image that is the same size as the object but flipped left-to-right.

Plane mirrors flip images horizontally; by writing it backwards, drivers see it correctly in their mirrors.

Real images occur when light rays actually meet at a point, unlike virtual images seen "inside" a mirror.

Light actually slows down when it enters denser materials like glass or water.

The focal point is the specific location where reflected or refracted light rays converge.

Concave lenses cause light to "diverge," which helps correct certain vision problems like nearsightedness.

A convex lens converges sunlight into a tiny, hot point (the focal point).

A magnifying glass is a convex lens; it bends light to make an object appear larger to the eye.

Convex lenses are thicker in the middle and bend light rays inward toward a focal point.

Convex and concave are curved; plane mirrors are flat, and prisms are used for refraction/dispersion.

Refraction happens because light changes speed when it enters a different medium.

Convex mirrors curve outward, allowing them to reflect light from a very wide angle.

A virtual image is one that your brain perceives as being behind the mirror where light cannot actually go.

The "Normal" line is used to measure the angles of incidence and reflection.

Eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, and telescopes use lenses to bend light. Most flashlights use a curved mirror to reflect light.

Convex mirrors (like passenger-side car mirrors) provide a wider field of view by making objects look smaller.

Lenses work by refraction, which is the bending of light as it passes through a material.

Light can bounce off the surface, pass through and bend, be soaked up as heat, or simply pass straight through.