Apologies for the confusion in my previous response. The interaction of light with a curved surface actually involves refraction rather than reflection. Allow me to clarify the process of refraction at a curved surface.

When light passes through a curved surface, such as a convex lens or a concave lens, it undergoes refraction. Refraction refers to the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, and it occurs due to the change in the speed of light in different media.

To understand refraction at a curved surface, let’s consider a convex lens as an example. As light approaches the curved surface of the lens, it encounters the boundary between the two media (e.g., air and glass). At this boundary, the light ray changes direction due to the change in the refractive index between the two media.

The key principle governing the refraction of light is Snell’s law, which states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence (θ₁) and refraction (θ₂) is equal to the ratio of the refractive indices (n₁ and n₂) of the two media:

n₁ * sin(θ₁) = n₂ * sin(θ₂)

In the case of a convex lens, the light ray passing through the lens is refracted twice—once at the front curved surface and once at the back curved surface. As a result, the light rays converge or focus at a point known as the focal point, located on the other side of the lens.

Conversely, in the case of a concave lens, the light rays diverge or spread out after passing through the curved surface. The refracted rays appear to originate from a virtual focal point located on the same side as the incident light.

The shape of the curved surface determines the extent of bending or refraction that occurs. Different regions of the surface bend the light rays by different amounts, leading to the focusing or spreading out of the rays.

In summary, when light interacts with a curved surface, such as a convex or concave lens, it undergoes refraction according to Snell’s law. The curved surface of the lens causes the light rays to bend, resulting in interesting optical phenomena like convergence or divergence of the rays and the formation of real or virtual images.