What is the term for the bouncing back of a wave when it hits a surface through which it cannot pass?

What is the term for the bouncing back of a wave when it hits a surface through which it cannot pass?

• A. Refraction
• B. Reflection
• C. Absorption
• D. Diffraction

Answer: (B)

When a wave hits a surface it cannot pass through, the energy cannot enter the boundary and is sent back into the original medium. This bouncing back is called reflection. You can see it when light shines on a mirror and bounces off, or when sound hits a wall and you hear an echo. The rule that often accompanies this is that the angle at which the wave arrives (the angle of incidence) equals the angle at which it leaves (the angle of reflection). The other terms describe different behaviors: refraction happens when the wave enters a different medium and changes speed and direction; absorption is when the material takes in the wave’s energy; diffraction is the bending of waves around edges or through openings.

When a wave hits a surface it cannot pass through, the energy cannot enter the boundary and is sent back into the original medium. This bouncing back is called reflection. You can see it when light shines on a mirror and bounces off, or when sound hits a wall and you hear an echo. The rule that often accompanies this is that the angle at which the wave arrives (the angle of incidence) equals the angle at which it leaves (the angle of reflection).

The other terms describe different behaviors: refraction happens when the wave enters a different medium and changes speed and direction; absorption is when the material takes in the wave’s energy; diffraction is the bending of waves around edges or through openings.