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What is reflection?

Part of ScienceLightYear 3

What is reflection?

Reflection involves a source of light and a surface. The light travels towards the surface and bounces off of it.Mirrors reflect lots of light, but most objects reflect at least a bit of light.

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Watch: How light travels

Learn how light travels and what reflection is.

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How reflection works

When light from an object is reflected by a surface, it changes direction. It bounces off the surface at the same angle as it hits it.

Showing how rays from the Sun are reflected at the same angle.

Smooth, shiny surfaces such as mirrors and polished metals reflect light well. Dull and dark surfaces, such as dark fabrics, absorb light so they do not reflect it well.

When the Sun ray hits the black umbrella some of the light is reflected back but some is also absorbed by the dark material.
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Watch: How light is reflected into our eyes

Find out how reflected light enters our eyes so that we can see.

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Activity 1: Order the process of reflection

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Activity 2: Quiz

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Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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