When light is partially reflected from a surface, there is a change in its

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To analyze what happens when light is partially reflected, let's examine what each property does at a boundary.
Option a: frequency. In reflection and transmission at a boundary between two media, the frequency of light remains unchanged. The boundary does not alter the oscillation rate of the electromagnetic wave; it stays the same as the incident frequency.
Option b: wavelength. The wavelength can change when light enters a different medium because wavelength = velocity / frequency. While frequency is fixed across the boundary, the speed of light changes between media, so the wavelength in the new medium adjusts accordingly. However, this applies to the transmitted or refracted wave, not specifically to the partially reflected portion alone.
Option c: speed. The speed of light does change when transitioning between media, due to a different refractive index. Yet the act of partial reflection itself does not impose a new speed beyond what the medium dictates; the reflected ray travels back in the original medium at that medium’s speed, so this is not a unique change caused by partial reflection per se.
Option d: all of these. Since frequency remains the same across the boundary and not all aspects change solely because of partial reflection, this option is incorrect.
Option e: intensity. When light is partially reflected, only a portion of the incident light is reflected, and only a portion is transmitted. This division results in a change in the intensity (brightness) of the reflected wave compared to the incident wave, as governed by the reflection and transmission coefficients. The intensity of the reflected light is typically less than that of the incident light, depending on the angle and the media; thus a change in intensity is the characteristic outcome of partial reflection.
In summary, the primary observable change associated with partial reflection among the listed properties is a change in intensity, while frequency remains unchanged, wavelength and speed adapt to the medium for each component, and not all properties change simultaneously. Therefore, option e correctly identifies the change introduced by partial reflection.

MUF0122 Physics Unit 2 - Semester 2, 2025 2.19 Reflection, refraction, dispersion, polarisation and diffraction

When light is partially reflected from a surface, there is a change in its

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

We can see Earth from space because the Earth reflects solar radiation that is visible to our eyes.

Reflection is when...

We can see an iron rod at room temperature, because …

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

Economic stress and unpredictable times have resulted in a booming industry for self-help products

People born without creativity never can develop it

A product has a selling price of $20, a contribution margin ratio of 40% and fixed cost of $120,000. To make a profit of $30,000. The number of units that must be sold is: Type the number without $ and a comma. Eg: 20000

Which of the following statement regarding cost is correct:

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单