LIGHT and OPTICS If a wave moves faster in a medium, it bends away

from the normal. If it travels slower, it bends

Historical Background towards the normal. (FAST)

 Newton believes that light is made of particles. The velocity of a wave is given by the equation
 Huygens believes that light is a form of wave.
 Young conducted an experiment that shows v  λf
light can undergo interference, supporting the
wave theory Two types of reflection As a wave travels from one medium to another, its
 Maxwell concluded that light is a form of a 1. specular reflection – reflection on a smooth wavelength varies while the frequency remains the
high-frequency electromagnetic wave. surface same.
 Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect that 2. diffuse reflection – reflection of light from a
contradicts the wave theory. rough surface. Important Relationships
 Planck developed quantum theory.
 Einstein used quantum theory to explain The Law of reflection sin θ2 v 2 λ1 v1
photoelectric effect.   λ1n1  λ2n2
sin θ1 v1 λ2 v 2
The angle of reflection equals the angle of
Light consists of particles called photons. A photon incidence.
The index of refraction of any medium:
is a quantum of en electromagnetic radiation. The
photons of light possess discrete amount of Retroreflection occurs when the reflected beam
energy that is proportional to the frequency of returns to its source parallel to its original path. λ
n
light. The energy of a photon of an EM wave is λn
given by The first all-digital movie from cinematography to
E  hf post production and projection was Star Wars where λ is the wavelength in vacuum and λn is the
where: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). wavelength in the medium.
h  Planck's constant  6.626  10-34 J  s
Refraction is the change in the direction of a wave Snell’s Law of Refraction
The research of Einstein proved that light has a as it passes from one medium to another due to
dual nature. Light is both a particle and a wave. the difference in the refractive index. Refraction n1 sinθ1  n2 sinθ2
Sometimes, light behaves as a wave and there are then may now be regarded as the “bending” of
some situations, it can be regarded as a particle. waves. Problem:
A light ray of wavelength 589 nm travelling
Quantum electrodynamics is a comprehensive EM waves in general and light in particular, travels through air is incident on a smooth, flat slab of
theory that includes both the wave and particle faster in a medium that has a lower index of crown glass with n = 1.52 at an angle of 30° with
properties of light. The propagation of light is best refraction. As the index of refraction of the the normal. (A) Find the angle of refraction. (B)
described by the wave model, while the absorption medium increases, the velocity of the wave Find the speed of the glass once it enters the glass.
and emission of light can be understood using the decreases. (C) What is the wavelength of this light in glass?
particle approach. Answers: (A) 19.2° (B) 1.97×108 m/s (C) 388 nm
Light travels fastest in vacuum. The speed of light
Daniel Roemer made the first successful estimate in any material is always less than its speed in Measuring n Using a Prism
of the speed of light using the moon of Jupiter, Io vacuum.
(1675).
Index of refraction
Armand Fizeau measured the speed of light using
a rotating toothed wheel (1849). The index of refraction of a medium is defined as

Electromagnetic radiation is produced by speed of light in vacuum c

n 
oscillating electric charges in space. All bodies emit speed of light in the medium v For a prism with an apex angle Φ and minimum
electromagnetic radiation which can be visible or angle of deviation δmin, the index of refraction is
not. The index of refraction is inversely proportional to determined using the formula
the wave speed. The higher the index of refraction
Geometric Optics of a material, the more slowly a wave travels.  Φ  δmin 
sin  
- involves the study of the propagation of light 2
n  
- light travels in a straight line in a fixed direction If a wave is travelling from a medium with sin  Φ 2 
as it passes through a uniform medium but refractive index n1 to a medium having a refractive
changes its direction when it passes a different index n2, and n1 > n2, then the wave moves away
medium from the normal. If n1 < n2, then the wave moves Huygen’s Principle
towards the normal.
A wavefront is a locus of all adjacent points at In 1678, Christian Huygens, a Dutch physicist
which the phase of vibration of a physical quantity proposed a principle that states:
associated with the wave is the same. Stated in
another way, a wavefront is the surface in a wave All points on a given wave front are taken as point
that are in-phase. sources for the production of spherical secondary
waves, called wavelets, that propagate outward
Rays are used to describe the direction in which through a medium with speeds equal to the speed
light propagates. In view of the particle theory of of the waves in that medium. After some time
light, rays are the path of the particles. From the interval has passed, the new position of the wave
wave viewpoint, a ray is an imaginary line along front is the surface tangent to the wavelets.
the direction of travel of the wave.
 passing through the analyzer is already linearly B. reflection
polarized. C. dispersion
D. refraction and dispersion *
Light travelling in air is scattered by air molecules.
The light coming from the sun is absorbed and is A ruler is placed in a glass of water and a portion
reradiated in a variety of direction. This process is of it is submerged. The ruler appears to be bent,
called scattering. The scattered light is partially where in fact it is actually straight. This happened
polarized. because of
A. reflection
When unpolarized light strikes an interface B. refraction *
between two materials, Brewster’s law states that C. dispersion
Dispersion the reflected light is completely polarized D. diffraction
perpendicular to the plane of incidence (parallel to
The index of refraction of a given material varies the interface) if the angle of incidence equals the What type of reflection is occurs when light strikes
depending on the wavelength of light passing polarizing angle, θP. a highly polished surface?
through the material. This behavior is called A. perfect reflection
dispersion. Light of different wavelengths is n2 B. Lambertian reflection
tan θP 
refracted at different angles when incident to a n1 C. specular reflection *
material. D. diffuse reflection
Problem:
The index of refraction decreases with increasing Which of the following materials has the highest
Find the critical angle for an air-water boundary.
wavelength. A wave having shorter wavelength is index of refraction?
The index of refraction of water is 1.33.
more refracted than a wave with longer A. glass
Answer: 48.8°
wavelength. This explains why violet light bends B. water
more than red light when passing through a C. diamond *
In an optical fiber cable, the refractive index of the
material. In addition, the index of refraction for a D. zircon
cladding is _______________ that of the core.
material would be greater for violet than for red
A. greater than
light. The index of refraction of diamond is closest to
B. less than *
A. 2.3 C. 2.5
C. equal to
When white light is passed through a prism, B. 2.2 D. 2.4 *
D. can be less than or equal to
dispersion occurs. The band of colors that emerge
is called the visible spectrum. Violet light deviates The dependence of the index or refraction on the
The transmission of light in optical fibers used in
the most and red light deviates the least. wavelength of light is called
modern communication systems is due to
A. aberration
_____________ of light.
Total Internal Reflection B. dispersion *
A. refraction *
C. deviation
B. reflection
When light is travelling in a medium of higher to D. refraction
C. dispersion
lower refractive index, total internal reflection may
D. reflection and refraction
occur. This happens when the angle of incidence is Light from vacuum enters a medium having an
greater than the critical angle. The critical angle index of refraction n. The wavelength of light in
Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of
required for total internal reflection is that medium
incidence is ______________ the critical angle.
A. decreases by n times
A. equal C. greater than *
n2 B. will be n times longer
sin θc 
n1
 for n
1
 n2  B. less than D. at least equal to
C. is not affected at all
D. will be diminished by n
Indicate the false statement. As a wave travels
Polarization from one medium to another,
What happens to the velocity of light as it travels
A. its direction always changes
from a medium of higher to lower index of
The direction of the polarization of an B. its speed always changes
refraction?
electromagnetic wave is determined by the C. its wavelength always changes
A. the light travels faster *
direction of the electric field vector of the wave. D. its frequency always changes *
B. the light travels slower
C. the speed of light remains the same
The natural light coming from a light source is A light is travelling from glass to water. Which
D. either A or B
unpolarized. The most common polarizing filter statement is true?
for visible light is a material known by the trade A. the angle of incidence is greater than the angle
Violet is the lowermost color in a rainbow. Why?
name Polaroid, widely used for sunglasses and of refraction
A. because it has the highest wavelength
cameras. B. the light bends away from the normal *
B. because it has the highest frequency
C. the light travels faster in glass
C. because it has the lowest index of refraction
The intensity of an electromagnetic wave is D. none of the above
D. because it has the shortest wavelength *
proportional to the square of the amplitude of the
wave. The intensity of the light transmitted The index of refraction of glass will be least for
The band of colors produced when light is
through the analyzer is which color of light?
dispersed by a prism is called
A. blue
A. spectrum *
I  Im ax cos2  B. orange *
B. rainbow
C. green
C. dispersion
D. yellow
where Imax is the maximum intensity of light D. continuum
transmitted (at ϕ = 0) ans I is the amount
What phenomenon is responsible for the creation
transmitted at angle ϕ. This relationship is called Polarization is applicable only to
of rainbow?
Malus’s Law. It applies only if the incident light A. light waves
A. refraction
B. sound waves
C. transverse waves refraction of 1.50? (c) What is its speed in the
D. longitudinal waves glass?
Ans:
In which of the following interface will total
internal reflection of light occur? Problem:
A. air to water C. glass to water * A narrow beam of ultrasonic waves reflects off the
B. water to glass D. none of these liver tumor. The speed of the wave is 10.0% less in
the liver than in the surrounding
Which of the following illustrates total internal medium. Determine the depth of the tumor.
reflection?
A. a sparkling diamond Problem: PSE 35.35
B. endoscopy in medicine The index of refraction for violet light in silica flint
C. submarine periscope glass is 1.66 and that for red light is 1.62. What is
D. all of the above * the angular spread of visible light passing through
a prism of apex angle 60.0° if the angle of
A light ray passes from air to glass. Which incidence is 50.0°?
statement is true? Ans: 4.61°
A. its speed increases
B. its wavelength remains the same A room contains air in which the speed of sound is
C. the light ray is bent away from the normal 343 m/s. The walls of the room are made of
D. none of these * concrete in which the speed of sound is 1 850 m/s.
Find the critical angle for total internal reflection of
On a hot day, one can see and observe “water in sound at the concrete–air boundary.
the road”. This is known as mirage. What causes Ans: 10.7°
this phenomenon?
A. refraction of light * A small light fixture on the bottom of a swimming
B. reflection of light pool is 1.00 m below the surface. The light
C. dispersion of light emerging from the still water forms a circle on the
D. retroreflection water surface. What is the diameter of this circle?

Sound will undergo total internal reflection if it Problem PSE 35.53

travels from A hiker stands on an isolated mountain peak near
A. water to air sunset and observes a rainbow caused by water
B. glass to air droplets in the air at a distance of 8.00 km along
C. air to concrete * her line of sight. The valley is 2.00 km below the
D. glass to water mountain peak and entirely flat. What fraction of
the complete circular arc of the rainbow is visible
“When a light ray travels between any two points, to the hiker? Ans: 62.2%
its path is the one that requires the smallest time
interval.” This statement refers to Problem PSE 35.55
A. Fermat’s Principle * C. Snell’s Law A 4.00-m-long pole stands vertically in a lake
B. Brewster’s Law D. Huygens’ Principle having a depth of 2.00 m. The Sun is 40.0° above
the horizontal. Determine the length of the pole’s
Problem: PSE 35.10 shadow on the bottom of the lake. Take the index
A narrow beam of sodium yellow light, with of refraction for water to be 1.33. Ans: 82 times
wavelength 589 nm in vacuum, is incident from air
onto a smooth water surface at an angle of Problem:
incidence of 35.0°. Determine the angle of The wavelength of the red light from a helium
refraction and the wavelength of the light in water. neon laser is 633 nm in air but 474 nm in the
Ans: 25.5° and 442 nm aqueous humor inside your eyeball. Calculate the
index of refraction of the aqueous humor and the
Problem: PSE 35.11 speed and frequency of light in this substance.
A plane sound wave in air at 20°C, with wavelength Ans: n = 1.34, v = 2.25×108 m/s, f = 4.74×1014 Hz
589 mm, is incident on a smooth surface of water
at 25°C at an angle of incidence of 3.50°.
Determine the angle of refraction for the sound
wave and the wavelength of the sound in water.
Ans: 15.4° and 2.56 m

Problem: PSE 35.13

An underwater scuba diver sees the Sun at an
apparent angle of 45.0° above the horizontal.
What is the actual elevation angle of the Sun
above the horizontal?
Ans: 19.5°

The wavelength of red helium–neon laser light in

air is 632.8 nm. (a) What is its frequency? (b) What
is its wavelength in glass that has an index of