A mirror forms a clear image due to which property of light?

A mirror forms a clear image due to which property of light?

• A. Absorption
• B. Reflection
• C. Refraction
• D. Diffraction

Answer: (B)

Reflection is the reason a mirror can form a clear image. When light rays strike a smooth mirror, they bounce off at angles equal to the angles at which they arrived (the law of reflection). Those reflected rays then travel to your eyes, and it looks as if they came from somewhere behind the mirror, producing a clear image. Absorption would soak up the light, so no image is formed. Refraction is light bending when it moves between different materials, not the process at the mirror’s surface. Diffraction is the bending of light around edges, which can blur rather than produce a sharp image on a mirror.

Reflection is the reason a mirror can form a clear image. When light rays strike a smooth mirror, they bounce off at angles equal to the angles at which they arrived (the law of reflection). Those reflected rays then travel to your eyes, and it looks as if they came from somewhere behind the mirror, producing a clear image. Absorption would soak up the light, so no image is formed. Refraction is light bending when it moves between different materials, not the process at the mirror’s surface. Diffraction is the bending of light around edges, which can blur rather than produce a sharp image on a mirror.