Light

Contents
•The Nature & Propagation of Light

•Reflection
•Properties of image formed by plane mirror
•Refraction
•Thin Converging Lenses
The Nature & Propagation of Light
Light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that

our eyes can detect. White light made up of seven
colours.
Light travels in straight line called rays. This is
known as rectilinear propagation of light.
There are 3 types of beam:
Parallel Beam Diverging Beam Converging Beam

Rays and Shadows:
The shadow formed by a light source will depend on whether the light
source is a point source or an extended source.
Umbra (Complete shadow)
Penumbra (Partial Shadow)

Reflection of Light:
Angle of reflection Angle of incident
LAWS OF REFLECTION:
1. The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to

the surface all lie in the same plane.
2. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of
reflection.
Properties of Images Formed by Plane Mirrors:
1. It is of the same size as the object

2. It is literally inverted (left to right inversion)
3. It is upright.
4. It is virtual (A virtual image cannot be projected onto a
screen because light rays do not actually meet at the image
position).
5. It is at a position as far behind the mirror as the object is in
front of the mirror (d1=d2).
Ray Diagrams for Plane Mirrors.
3 steps method:
Step 1
• Locate image behind mirror.
• Equidistant and perpendicular
• Image size must be the same as the object
Step 2
Join the image to the eye.
• Virtual rays
• - Real rays
Ray Diagrams for Plane Mirrors.
3 step method:
Step 3
• Draw the incident rays by means of the reflected rays.
• Do not forget to draw the arrowheads on the solid lines (real rays).
Multiple images in plane mirrors:
By inclining two mirrors at different angles, they will produce different
number of images of an object.
• If two mirrors are placed parallel to one another an infinite number of
images of an object placed between them.
• If two mirrors are placed perpendicular to one another number of
images will be three of an object placed between them.
Some Important applications of plane mirrors
Optical testing:
Periscope:
Blind corner:
The diagram below shows a plane mirror placed at a distance
300 cm in front of a patient. If the optician’s test card is fixed
80 cm behind the eyes of the patient,what is the distance from
his eyes to the image of the card?
Reflection from two mirrors
Refraction:
Bending effect of light as it passes from one transparent material
(optical medium) into another is called refraction of light.
Causes of Refraction:
Refraction occurs because light travels at different speeds in different media.
(Step 1)
Laws of Refraction:
First Law of Refraction:
The incident ray, the normal and the refracted ray
all lie in the same plane.
Second Law of Refraction (Snell’s Law):

For particular two media, the ratio of
the sine of the angle incident to the angle of refraction is a constant.
This is Snell’s Law

Some Daily Phenomenon of Refraction:
1. Swimming pool (how things appear to be nearer

to the surface)
The refractive index of a medium can be found from
2. ‘Bent’ object in liquids

Some Daily Phenomenon of Refraction:
3. Dispersion of White Light
White light is made up of 7 colours. (Remember - ROY G. BIV) Splitting white

light into these colours is known as the dispersion of white light.
Causes of dispersion:
a) Different colours travel at different speeds in glass
• Red deviates the least
• Violet deviates the most
b) Each colour of light gets refracted by a different angle as it passes between
the air and glass.
Total Internal Reflection & the Critical Angle
a) The following glass prism has a refractive index of 1.5.
Calculate the critical angle for light passing through the prism.
b) On the diagram to the right complete the light ray passing through
the prism.
Ray of light in prism
Path of light ray in Prism
Uses of Total Internal Reflection
Optical Fiber
Mirage
Thin Converging Lenses (Convex Lenses
1. Principal axis
2. Optical centre, C
3. Principal focus, F or Focal Point
4. Focal length, f
5.Centre of curvature
Concave and Convex Lense
Ray Diagrams for Converging Lenses
Path of ray in Concave and Convex Lens
Image formation in converging Lens
1. Is the image formed on the same side of the lens as the object?
2. Is the image formed enlarged, diminished or the same size as the
object?
3. Is the image upright or inverted?
4. Is the image real or virtual?

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Contents

•The Nature & Propagation of Light

Light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that

Parallel Beam Diverging Beam Converging Beam

Umbra (Complete shadow)

Penumbra (Partial Shadow)

Angle of reflection Angle of incident

1. The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to

1. It is of the same size as the object

Second Law of Refraction (Snell’s Law):

This is Snell’s Law

1. Swimming pool (how things appear to be nearer

The refractive index of a medium can be found from

2. ‘Bent’ object in liquids

3. Dispersion of White Light

White light is made up of 7 colours. (Remember - ROY G. BIV) Splitting white

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