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Reflection of waves

- including sound and light waves - can be reflected at the boundary between two different materials. The reflection of sound causes echoes.

The law of reflection states that:

angle of incidence = angle of reflection

For example, if a light ray hits a surface at 32°, it will be reflected at 32°.

The and are measured between the light ray and the - an imaginary line at 90° to the surface. The diagram shows a water wave being reflected at a barrier.

A diagram shows the law of reflection. It shows the incident wave and its angle of incidence, which reflects against a water barrier and reveals the incident wave’s angle of reflection.