Reflection Property of a Parabola

Reflection Property of a Parabola

The tangent at any point on a parabola makes equal angles with:

- the focal radius,

- the line through the point parallel to the axis.

$$\angle(\text{tangent},SP)=\angle(\text{tangent},\text{axis-parallel line})$$

Usage

- Used in ray-reflection and geometric-optics problems involving parabolas.