The angle between the reflected ray and the normal is known as the angle of reflection. The angle between the incident ray and the normal is known as the angle of incidence. The normal line divides the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray into two equal angles. This line is known as a normal line (labeled N in the diagram). At the point of incidence where the ray strikes the mirror, a line can be drawn perpendicular to the surface of the mirror. The ray of light that leaves the mirror is known as the reflected ray (labeled R in the diagram). In the diagram, the ray of light approaching the mirror is known as the incident ray (labeled I in the diagram). ![]() The diagram below illustrates the law of reflection. If a ray of light could be observed approaching and reflecting off of a flat mirror, then the behavior of the light as it reflects would follow a predictable law known as the law of reflection. ![]() The best way to practice finding the axis of symmetry is to do an example problem.įind the axis of symmetry for the two functions shown in the images below.Light is known to behave in a very predictable manner. This is because, by it's definition, an axis of symmetry is exactly in the middle of the function and its reflection. In this case, all we have to do is pick the same point on both the function and its reflection, count the distance between them, divide that by 2, and count that distance away from one of the graphs. How to Find the Axis of Symmetry:įinding the axis of symmetry, like plotting the reflections themselves, is also a simple process. It can be the x-axis, or any horizontal line with the equation y y y = constant, like y y y = 2, y y y = -16, etc. The axis of symmetry is simply the horizontal line that we are performing the reflection across. But before we go into how to solve this, it's important to know what we mean by "axis of symmetry". In some cases, you will be asked to perform horizontal reflections across an axis of symmetry that isn't the x-axis. Plot new points after dividing y values by -1Īnd that's it! Simple, right? What is the Axis of Symmetry: Remember, pick some points (3 is usually enough) that are easy to pick out, meaning you know exactly what the x and y values are. Step 2: Identify easy-to-determine points So, make sure you take a moment before solving any reflection problem to confirm you know what you're being asked to do. When drawing reflections across the x x x and y y y axis, it is very easy to get confused by some of the notations. Since we were asked to plot the – f ( x ) f(x) f ( x ) reflection, is it very important that you recognize this means we are being asked to plot the reflection over the x-axis. Step 1: Know that we're reflecting across the x-axis Below are several images to help you visualize how to solve this problem. Don't pick points where you need to estimate values, as this makes the problem unnecessarily hard. When we say "easy-to-determine points" what this refers to is just points for which you know the x and y values exactly. Remember, the only step we have to do before plotting the − f ( x ) -f(x) − f ( x ) reflection is simply divide the y-coordinates of easy-to-determine points on our graph above by (-1). Given the graph of y = f ( x ) y = f(x) y = f ( x ) as shown, sketch y = − f ( x ) y = -f(x) y = − f ( x ). The best way to practice drawing reflections across the y-axis is to do an example problem: In order to do this, the process is extremely simple: For any function, no matter how complicated it is, simply pick out easy-to-determine coordinates, divide the y-coordinate by (-1), and then re-plot those coordinates. ![]() In a potential test question, this can be phrased in many different ways, so make sure you recognize the following terms as just another way of saying "perform a reflection across the x-axis":ġ) Graph y = − f ( x ) y = -f(x) y = − f ( x ) One of the most basic transformations you can make with simple functions is to reflect it across the x-axis or another horizontal axis. Before we get into reflections across the y-axis, make sure you've refreshed your memory on how to do simple vertical and horizontal translations.
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