New
New
Year 6

Measuring reflected light: do and review

I can investigate how changing the angle of a mirror affects the angle of reflected light.

New
New
Year 6

Measuring reflected light: do and review

I can investigate how changing the angle of a mirror affects the angle of reflected light.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. If you change the angle that light hits a surface, the angle of reflection will also change.
  2. Mirrors are highly reflective. They are sometimes used to deliberately change the direction that light travels.
  3. Reflected light bounces off the surface at the same angle as it hits it.
  4. When you measure angles, it is acceptable for results to vary slightly because it is difficult to measure perfectly.

Common misconception

Only shiny surfaces reflect light. Light does not always travel in straight lines when it bounces off a mirror.

The lesson gives the children a chance to explore reflection of light in mirrors to see for themselves that it does reflect in a straight line.

Keywords

  • Reflected - If light is reflected it is bounced off a surface.

  • Angle - An angle is the space between two straight lines which join at a vertex or point.

  • Protractor - A protractor is a piece of equipment used to measure and draw angles.

  • Results - The results of a test or enquiry is what happened or what was found out.

  • Evidence - Evidence is information which helps us to prove that something is true or not true.

Make it easier to measure the angle of reflected light by sticking tape to the lenses of the torches to narrow the beam. This lesson is a follow-up to the plan children created in Lesson 6.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Torches, mirrors, sticky tack, protractors, large sheets of paper, marker pens.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the name of the equipment shown in the image?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: protractor
Q2.
Mirrors are highly reflective and are sometimes used to deliberately the direction that light travels.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: change, alter
Q3.
What do you measure using a protractor?
length
mass
light
Correct answer: angles
Q4.
What units are used to describe the size of angles?
kilograms
Correct answer: degrees
newtons
litres
degrees celsius
Q5.
What angle is shown in this image?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: 45°
55°
145°
135°
Q6.
How could you change the angle of reflected light?
change how the dark the room is
change the torch
Correct answer: change the angle the light hits the surface

6 Questions

Q1.
Mirrors, metal spoons and kitchen foil are made from highly materials.
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: reflective
reactive
responsive
repulsive
Q2.
Because they are highly reflective, mirrors are used to...
An image in a quiz
produce light
make light travel in curved lines
Correct answer: change the direction that light travels
Q3.
Reflected light bounces off surfaces at the same as it hits them.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: angle
Q4.
If light hits a mirror at an angle of 30° against the normal line, what will the angle of the reflected light be?
20°
150°
Correct answer: 30°
Q5.
Which of these images shows the correct angle of the reflected light?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q6.
If an angle is 80°, which of these numbers would be acceptable as the correct measurement using a protractor?
Correct answer: 79°
85°
Correct answer: 80°
Correct answer: 82°

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