Question

A laser beam strikes a plane mirror with an angle of incidence of 30°. What is the angle between the incident beam and the reflected beam?
Group of answer choices

60°

30°

17.5°

35°

Answer 1

The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence according to the law of reflection.

Given that the angle of incidence is 30°, the angle of reflection is also 30°.

To find the angle between the incident beam and the reflected beam, we need to consider that both the incident and reflected beams are on opposite sides of the normal line (the perpendicular to the surface of the mirror at the point of incidence).

Thus, the angle between the incident beam and the reflected beam is:

Angle between beams = Angle of incidence + Angle of reflection = 30° + 30° = 60°.

Therefore, the angle between the incident beam and the reflected beam is **60°**.