A vertical plane mirror coincides with the – plane of a three‐dimensional coordinate…
PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Light — Reflection and Refraction · Light — Reflection and Refraction
Problem
A vertical plane mirror coincides with the y–z plane of a three‐dimensional coordinate system. A light ray travels in the x–y plane toward the mirror and strikes it at the origin O. The incident ray makes an angle of 30∘ with the normal to the mirror (the normal points along the positive x‐axis).
(a) Draw a labelled diagram showing the incident ray, the normal, and the reflected ray with respect to the coordinate axes.
(b) Calculate the angle that the reflected ray makes with the x–y plane.
(c) Is the reflected ray confined to the x–y plane or does it leave that plane? Support your answer with appropriate reasoning based on the laws of reflection.