Is the law of reflection followed when irregular reflection takes place?
YES. Though it is a very common misconception, the laws of reflection are followed in case of irregular reflection as well. 1st Law : It states that the incedent ray, the refracted ray, and the normal to the reflector at the point of incedence –> all are coplanar. For irregular reflection, this can be verified by drawing the case on piece of paper and using common sense(All the above mentioned things will lie on the plane perpendicular to the plane of paper). 2nd Law : According to it the angle of incedence equals the angle of reflection. As, parallel light beams strike an irregular surface, all the rays do not strike the surface in a straight line, because of the ‘irregularity’ of the surface(can be observed under microscope). But at every point the laws are maintained(i.e:- the two angles are always equal).But, as the points do not lie in a straight line, the rays are reflected apparently ‘haphazardly’.
