Reflection of spherical wave from plane

AI Thread Summary
A spherical wave originating from a point source reflects off a planar surface, prompting the need for a ray diagram and wavefront sketches. While sketching wavefronts is straightforward, creating a ray diagram poses challenges for those only familiar with mirror reflections. The Law of Reflection is essential for accurately depicting the behavior of the rays as they interact with the planar surface. Understanding that rays diverge from the source and converge at the point of reflection is crucial. This discussion emphasizes the importance of applying fundamental principles of wave behavior in reflection scenarios.
ThetaPi
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Problem statement.

A spherical wave (from a point source) reflects from a planar surface. Draw a ray diagram and sketch some wavefronts for the reflected wave.

Attempt

It is easy to sketch some wavefronts for the reflected waves; however, how is it possible to draw a ray diagram for this? I have only done ray diagrams for reflections from mirrors into a person's eyes.
 
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The same as for the eye case only that this time the rays converge at their source and diverge ( do not take these words literally) away. Use a point source on a peace of paper draw rays around it than place a line which represents the planar surface. The rest is quite intuitive.
 
ThetaPi said:
Problem statement.

A spherical wave (from a point source) reflects from a planar surface. Draw a ray diagram and sketch some wavefronts for the reflected wave.

Attempt

It is easy to sketch some wavefronts for the reflected waves; however, how is it possible to draw a ray diagram for this? I have only done ray diagrams for reflections from mirrors into a person's eyes.

Welcome to PF :smile:

Look up the Law of Reflection, that is the key here.
 

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