What does a ray represent in the context of light?

In the context of light, a ray symbolizes the path that light travels in a straight line, represented visually with a directional arrowhead. This not only indicates the trajectory of the light but also conveys the direction in which it's moving. The concept of light rays is fundamental in optics, as it helps to understand how light travels through various media and how it interacts with surfaces, such as reflection and refraction.

Light can indeed be thought of in terms of waves and their associated properties, but a ray simplifies this concept to a straight line, making it easier to visualize and analyze light’s behavior in different scenarios. By distinguishing the path of light with an arrowhead, it clarifies the understanding that, while light behaves like a wave, it can also be represented as traveling from point to point in a more manageable form for calculations and illustrations.