What is the one thing that you never forget to look into when stepping out of your house? The answer is the MIRROR! Yes, the mirror is the one thing we never forget to look into. Our reflection in the mirror lets us know whether we are in the perfect shape or not. The chapter below shall throw light on what is a reflection.
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What is a Reflection?
Have you ever passed through a river and seen your body’s reflection in the water? Reflection is the property of formation of an exact replica of an object when seen in the mirror. Now what does reflection has to do with mathematics?
Reflection is used in understanding the symmetry of objects, patterns, figures and geometrical constructions. Understanding what is reflection helps us understand the concept of perfect symmetry to the core.
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Reflection symmetry is also called as mirror symmetry and is seen in those objects or patterns which can be cut into exact halves of each other. In reflective symmetry, the line of symmetry behaves like a mirror. Due to its behavior, this line is also called the mirror line.
The shape or pattern in reflection symmetry is reflected across the mirror line and is same as the original. It is identical in size and is at the same distance from the line of symmetry as its other half. Every half is the reflection of its other counterpart.
We can find many instances of patterns showing reflection symmetry in our daily lives. From patterns showing linear symmetry to various shapes like square, rectangle and equilateral triangle, every object or pattern with symmetrical size and shape shows reflective symmetry.
The Direction of Mirror Line
The mirror line may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. The only objective of this line is to give perfectly replicating mirror images of the pattern. One of the best examples of mirror line resulting in reflection symmetry is the human face. Some alphabets also show reflective symmetry, for example, A, I, H, M etc.
The mirror line of a pattern hence divides the object, pattern or drawing into identical halves, one being a replica of the other. An object may have any number of mirror lines as well. For example, a square has 2 mirror lines.
Solved Examples for You
Question 1. Which of the following figure shows reflective symmetry?
Answer : Figure A and B are cut into equal halves, both the parts are exact replicas of each other. A and B, therefore, show reflective symmetry. C does not show reflective symmetry as the line passing through does not show the properties of a mirror line.
Question 2. For two objects to be symmetrical, they must be of same size and shape, with one object having a ___________ orientation from the first.
- Same
- Different
- Anyone
- Cannot say
Answer : B. For two objects to be symmetrical, they must be of same size and shape, with one object having a different orientation from the first. Two symmetrical objects are mirror images of each other. So their orientation is different. So option B is the correct answer.
This concludes our discussion on the topic what is a reflection.
Question 3: What is meant by reflection?
Answer: Reflection refers to the phenomenon when light bounces off an object. Reflection refers to the throwing back of light after it falls on any surface. Reflection refers to a type of rigid transformation in which the flipping of the preimage takes place across a line of reflection to result in the creation of the image.
Question 4: Give some examples of reflection?
Answer: Common examples of reflection consist of reflection of light, water, and sound waves. A good way to understand reflection is to look in the mirror because it reflects light.
Question 5: Explain the two types of reflection?
Answer: The categorization of the reflection of light can take place into two types of reflection: specular reflection takes place when light is reflected from a smooth surface at a definite angle, and diffuse reflection, which takes place due to rough surfaces that tend to reflect light in all possible directions.
Question 6: What is meant by multiple images?
Answer: Multiple images refer to the images whose formation takes place when two or more mirrors are placed such that they are in front of each other, while an object is put between them.
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