Light reflects off different surfaces booklet
Light reflects off different surfaces booklet
- Unit 1: Living things
- Unit 2: Energy
- Unit 3: Materials
- Unit 4: Earth and its habitats
- Unit 5: Light
- Unit 6: Electricity
🌟 This Topic is About...
- I will look at examples of how well a mirror reflects light.
- I will investigate how light reflects off different surfaces.
- I will make predictions and check if my results support them.
- I will describe simple patterns in my results and make a conclusion.
Let’s discover how light bounces and helps us see reflections!
🌟 Key Words
- absorb
- image
- mirror
- reflection
- surface
📖 Tap to Learn the Meanings!
- 🧲 absorb: to take in light, heat, or energy instead of reflecting it.
- 🖼️ image: a picture of something formed in a mirror or lens.
- 🪞 mirror: a smooth surface that reflects light to form an image.
- 🔁 reflection: when light bounces off a surface, like seeing yourself in a mirror.
- 🧱 surface: the outside layer of something that light can hit or reflect from.
Great job learning new words! 🎉
Mirrors
You know that when light reflects off an object into our eyes we see the object. Some surfaces – the top layer that is next to the air – are much better at reflecting light than other surfaces.
Mirrors
A smooth, shiny surface is very good at reflecting light. A mirror has a smooth, shiny surface. When you see your face in a mirror you are seeing light from your face reflecting off the mirror.
We call the reflection of your face in the mirror your image.
Discussion questions
Where have you got mirrors at home? What do you use the mirrors for?
Look at the pictures on this page. The pictures show different ways people use mirrors. Discuss how these mirrors help people to see objects they couldn’t see without the mirror.
Do some surfaces reflect light better than others?
Arun can see himself in the mirror. The mirror reflects his image back to him. Marcus can’t see himself in the wooden chopping board. The wooden surface absorbs light. It takes the light in and does not reflect it.
All objects reflect light or absorb light. A piece of paper, for example, is smooth and flat. However, if you looked at a piece of paper under a microscope, you’d see something like the picture below. Notice that the paper actually contains lots of bumps. The microscope makes everything bigger and you can see the bumps that you can’t see with your eyes. Because its surface is not completely smooth, paper absorbs a lot more light than it reflects.
If a surface reflects light very well, you will be able to see your reflection in the surface. If you can’t see your reflection at all in a surface it means the surface absorbs light.
Quick Fact
A smooth and shiny surface like a mirror reflects most of the light that hits it, making it ideal for seeing clear images. Rougher surfaces scatter the light and don’t create clear reflections.
🔬 Think like a Scientist: Investigate How Well Different Surfaces Reflect Light
🤔 Question: How do different surfaces reflect light?
🧰 You will need: At least six objects with different surfaces. Look at the picture for some examples.
📝 Method:
- Your teacher will set up objects for you to investigate.
- Predict which surfaces you think will reflect light well. List your surfaces, starting with the one you think will reflect light best.
- To test each material, ask the question: How well can I see my reflection in the surface of the material? Use this scale:
- 3: Perfect reflection
- 2: Fairly good reflection
- 1: Poor reflection
- 0: No reflection
- See if your prediction was correct by testing each surface.
💡 Different surfaces reflect light in different ways — shiny surfaces reflect well, while rough surfaces don't reflect light clearly.
❓ Questions:
- 1. Research
- 2. Fair testing
- 3. Observing over time
- 4. Identifying and classifying
- 5. Pattern seeking
🌟 Tap to See Answers
- 1: Your results will likely match your predictions, but some materials may surprise you with how well or poorly they reflect light!
- 2: Shiny surfaces like metal or mirrors should show a perfect reflection, while rough or matte surfaces show little or no reflection.
- 3: Shiny surfaces reflect light the best, while rough surfaces absorb or scatter light. Reflective surfaces are often smooth and even.
- 4: You did Fair Testing because you tested each surface and compared their ability to reflect light.
Great investigation into how light interacts with different surfaces! Keep exploring the properties of light.
How am I doing?
| How well can I: | Very well | Quite well | I need help |
|---|---|---|---|
| make a prediction? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| test a prediction? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| make a conclusion? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Do you think you have improved since the last assessment?
🌱 Reflect and Learn
Did you enjoy this topic?
How did the ‘Think like a scientist’ investigation help you to learn today?