reflection

Everyday

1. A reflection is the picture you see in a mirror, in water or on a shiny surface. tree →
2. In science, reflection is light, sound or heat bouncing back off a surface. tree →
3. In maths, a reflection is a flip of a shape over a line (a mirror line) so it looks like its mirror image. tree →
4. Reflection is also careful thinking about something. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn that we see things because light reflects off them, and that smooth shiny surfaces reflect best. In maths, reflection is a transformation, along with rotation and translation, and is linked to symmetry. In school pupils write a «reflection» on what they learned. Phrases: «a reflection in the mirror», «line of reflection», «on reflection», «reflection of light».

Examples

• The cat stared at its reflection in the mirror. tree →
• I saw the mountains' reflection in the still lake. tree →
• Draw the reflection of the triangle in the mirror line. tree →
• Reflection of light lets us see the Moon. tree →
• An echo is a reflection of sound. tree →
• On reflection, I think I was unfair. tree →
• Write a short reflection about your science project. tree →
• I have got it all from my reflections and thoughts. tree →

Note

Countable (a reflection, reflections) and uncountable (the process, careful thought). Verb: «reflect». In maths a reflection keeps the same size and shape but flips it: each point is the same distance from the mirror line on the other side. Words in a mirror look back-to-front.