![]() Why does rainbow appear in the sky after it rains? On the other hand, if the surface is rough or irregular, then the direction of the reflected light varies depending on the position on the surface, resulting in a distorted image of the mountain reflecting on the water surface. When the surface is located in an ideal location where the light bouncing off the surface by means of specular reflection directly reaches our eyes, then we can see a sharp, clear image of the mountain reflected on the surface. This is referred to as specular reflection or mirror reflection. If the surface is calm with no wind and also flat and smooth such as on level surfaces with no irregularities like mirrors and glass, then the angle of the incident light (angle of incidence) and the angle of the light bouncing off the surface (angle of reflection) are equal to each other. When there is a lake or pond between our eyes and a mountain, the light arriving there from the mountain reflects off the surface of the lake or pond (blue dotted lines in the figure). To make it easier to describe, this figure shows a boy looking at a distant tree instead of a mountain.) (Pink lines in the figure below represent the reflected light. Our eyes see the mountain by capturing some of the light reflected from the mountain which directly reaches our eyes and then by forming an image of the reflected light on the retina through the lens of the eye. The sunlight striking a mountain bounces back in many directions. Why is a distant mountain sometimes seen clearly reflected on the surface of a lake or pond? This tells us that light cannot become any smaller, and that light has a property of a “particle.” However, when light gradually weakens, the overall quantity of its signal becomes less yet the few remaining pulses (extremely short signals) can be detected and the size of these individual signals does not decrease. When the intensity or magnitude of sound gradually weakens, the signal of sound becomes smaller and eventually disappears. Sound is known to have the characteristics of a wave. We can check out the particle property of light by comparing light with sound using a device called oscilloscope. These particles of light are called “photons”. Bright light has many particles while dark light has fewer particles. The intensity of the light varies depending on the number of particles. On the other hand, light also has the property of a particle. Though we cannot see them directly, these are also members of the light family. ![]() The light of other wavelengths includes X-rays, ultraviolet rays, and infrared rays. Our eyes can only see light that is of a wavelength between approximately 400 to 700 nanometers. One nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. It is the distance that light travels in one oscillation, and is often expressed using a unit called "nanometer". The word “wavelength” is used to express the wave or undulating property of light. Light has the properties of a wave and a particle.
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