What term describes the bouncing back of a wave when it hits a boundary through which it cannot pass?

What term describes the bouncing back of a wave when it hits a boundary through which it cannot pass?

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

Answer: (D)

When a wave reaches a boundary that it cannot cross into the next medium, the energy is redirected back into the original medium. This bounce-back behavior is called reflection. For smooth boundaries, the angle at which the wave arrives (angle of incidence) equals the angle at which it leaves (angle of reflection). This is why you see light bounce off a mirror or hear an echo from a wall. Refraction would happen if the wave could pass into a different medium and change speed and direction; interference involves overlapping waves producing combined amplitudes; diffraction is the bending of waves around edges. So the bounce-back term that describes this situation is reflection.

When a wave reaches a boundary that it cannot cross into the next medium, the energy is redirected back into the original medium. This bounce-back behavior is called reflection. For smooth boundaries, the angle at which the wave arrives (angle of incidence) equals the angle at which it leaves (angle of reflection). This is why you see light bounce off a mirror or hear an echo from a wall. Refraction would happen if the wave could pass into a different medium and change speed and direction; interference involves overlapping waves producing combined amplitudes; diffraction is the bending of waves around edges. So the bounce-back term that describes this situation is reflection.