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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Why does angle of reflection equal angle of incidence?
« on: 23/09/2020 20:06:55 »
chris;
QED 'the strange theory of light and matter',
Richard Feynman, 1985
In his book, using the photon model of light, he explains the behavior of light involving the many paths concept.
In simple reflection from a flat surface, the photons take all possible paths EMD, from Emitter to Mirror to Detector, one path per photon, E and D in fixed positions.
The probability of detection is the sum of probabilities for each path. The analysis shows the greatest contribution comes from the middle section of the mirror.
I.e., the classical, 1st approximation, incidence angle equals reflection angle.
QED 'the strange theory of light and matter',
Richard Feynman, 1985
In his book, using the photon model of light, he explains the behavior of light involving the many paths concept.
In simple reflection from a flat surface, the photons take all possible paths EMD, from Emitter to Mirror to Detector, one path per photon, E and D in fixed positions.
The probability of detection is the sum of probabilities for each path. The analysis shows the greatest contribution comes from the middle section of the mirror.
I.e., the classical, 1st approximation, incidence angle equals reflection angle.