Interactive Java Tutorials Particle and Wave Reflection One
point of view envisions light as wave-like in nature, producing
energy that traverses through space in a manner similar to the
ripples spreading across the surface of a still pond after being
disturbed by a dropped rock. The opposing view holds that light
is composed of a steady stream of particles, much like tiny
droplets of water sprayed from a garden hose nozzle. This
interactive tutorial explores how particles and waves behave
when reflected from a smooth surface. The tutorial initializes
with particles of monochromatic red light (photons) impacting
the surface of a mirror with an incident angle of approximately
60 degrees. After bouncing away from the surface, the particles
travel back into space at a reflection angle that equals the
incident angle (measured from a plane perpendicular to the
mirror). The Particle/Wave slider, located beneath the mirror,
can be utilized to morph the beam of particles into a planar
wavefront. Prior to becoming a w