Reflection of light

Double reflection: The sun is reflected in the water, which is reflected in the paddle.
Reflection of light is either specular (mirror-like) or diffuse (retaining the energy, but
losing the image) depending on the nature of the interface. Furthermore, if the interface is
between a dielectric and a conductor, the phase of the reflected wave is retained,
otherwise if the interface is between two dielectrics, the phase may be retained or
inverted, depending on the indices of refraction.
In fact, reflection of light may occur whenever light travels from a medium of a
given refractive index into a medium with a different refractive index. In the most general
case, a certain fraction of the light is reflected from the interface, and the remainder
is refracted. Solving Maxwell's equations for a light ray striking a boundary allows the
derivation of the Fresnel equations, which can be used to predict how much of the light
reflected, and how much is refracted in a given situation. Total internal reflection of light
from a denser medium occurs if the angle of incidence is above the critical angle.

Sound reflection
When a longitudinal sound wave strikes a flat surface, sound is reflected in a coherent
manner provided that the dimension of the reflective surface is large compared to the
wavelength of the sound. Note that audible sound has a very wide frequency range (from
20 to about 17000 Hz), and thus a very wide range of wavelengths (from about 20 mm to
17 m). As a result, the overall nature of the reflection varies according to the texture and
structure of the surface. For example, porous materials will absorb some energy, and
rough materials (where rough is relative to the wavelength) tend to reflect in many
directions—to scatter the energy, rather than to reflect it coherently. This leads into the
field of architectural acoustics, because the nature of these reflections is critical to the
auditory feel of a space. In the theory of exterior noise mitigation, reflective surface size
mildly detracts from the concept of a noise barrier by reflecting some of the sound into
the opposite direction.

Seismic reflection
Seismic waves produced by earthquakes or other sources (such as explosions) may be
reflected by layers within the Earth. Study of the deep reflections of waves generated by
earthquakes has allowed seismologists to determine the layered structure of the Earth.
Shallower reflections are used in reflection seismology to study the
Earth's crust generally, and in particular to prospect for petroleum and natural
gasdeposits.