Light Reflection and Refraction

Light: Light is the form of energy that provides sensation of vision.

Properties of Light
Electromagnetic wave, so does not require any medium to travel.
Light tends to travel in straight line.
Light has dual nature i.e. wave as well as particle.
Light casts shadow.
Speed of light is maximum in vacuum. Its value is 3 × 108 ms-1.

Reflection: Bouncing back of light when it strikes on a polished surface like mirror.

Laws of Reflection

(i) Angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

(ii) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence, all lie in the same
plane.

Virtual and Real image:

Image is a point where at least two light rays meet or appear to meet.

Real Image Virtual Image

Formed when light rays actually meet. Formed when light rays appear to meet.

Can be obtained on screen. Can’t be obtained on screen.

Inverted Erect
 Example: image formed on cinema screen and Example: image formed by plane mirror
formed by concave mirror. or convex mirror.

Image Formed by Plane Mirror:

Characteristics of Image formed by Plane Mirror

(i) Virtual and erect.

(ii) Size of image is equal to the size of object.

(iii) Image is formed as far behind the mirror as the object is in front of it.

(iv) Laterally inverted.

Lateral Inversion: The right side of the object appears left side of the image and vice-versa.

Application of lateral inversion

The word AMBULANCE is written in reverse direction so that it can be read correctly in rear view
mirror of vehicles going in front of it.

Spherical Mirrors

Mirrors whose reflecting surface is curved.

There are two types of spherical mirrors:

(i) Convex Mirror or Diverging mirror

(ii) Concave Mirror or converging mirror

 Common terms for Spherical mirrors

Principal axis: The line joining the pole and center of curvature.

Pole (P): The centre of the spherical mirror.

Aperture (MN): It is the effective diameter of the spherical mirror.

Center of Curvature (C): The centre of the hollow glass sphere of which the mirror was a part.

Radius of Curvature (R): The distance between the pole and the centre of curvature.

Focus (F): The point on principal axis where all the parallel light rays actually meet or appear to
meet after reflection.

Focal length (f): The distance between the pole and the focus.

Relationship between focal length and radius of curvature: R = 2f

Rules for making ray diagrams by spherical mirror:

Ray diagrams for images formed by concave mirror

Ray diagrams of images formed by convex mirror

Uses of Concave Mirror

(i) Used in torches, search lights and vehicles headlights to get powerful parallel beam of light.

(ii) Concave mirrors are used by dentists to see large image of teeth of patients. (Teeth have to be
placed between pole and focus).

(iii) Concave mirror is used as shaving mirror to see a larger image of the face.

(iv) Large concave mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight to produce heat in solar furnace.

Uses of Convex Mirror

(i) Convex mirrors are used as rear view mirrors in vehicles because
→ they always give an erect though diminished image.
→ they have a wider field of view as they are curved outwards.
(ii) Convex mirrors are used at blind turns and on points of merging traffic to facilitate vision of both
side traffic.
(iii) Used in shops as security mirror.

Sign Convention for Reflection by Spherical Mirror

Mirror Formula:

1 1 1
= +
f v u

where, v = Image distance

u = Object distance

f = Focal length

Magnification of Spherical Mirrors

Magnification is defined as the ratio of the height of image to the height of object.

height of image (hi )

m=
height of object (ho)

hi −v
m= =
ho u

If ‘m’ is negative, image is real.

If ‘m’ is positive, image is virtual.

If hi = ho then m = 1, i.e., image is equal to object.

If hi > ho then m > 1 i.e., image is enlarged.

If hi < ho then m < 1 i.e., image is diminished.

• Magnification of plane mirror is always + 1.

‘+’ sign indicates virtual image.

‘1’ indicates that image is equal to object’s size.

• If ‘m’ is ‘+ve’ and less than 1, it is a convex mirror.

• If ‘m’ is ‘+ve’ and more than 1, it is a concave mirror.

• If ‘m’ is ‘-ve’, it is a concave mirror.

 Refraction of light:

The change in the direction of light when it travels from one medium to another medium obliquely
is called refraction of light.

 When light travels from rarer to denser medium, it bends towards the Normal.
 When light travels from denser to rarer medium, it bends away from Normal.

Laws of refraction:

1st law: The incident ray, normal and refracted ray, all lies in the same plane.

2nd law: Also known as snell’s law.

The ratio of sin of angle of incident and angle of refraction is constant for a particular medium.
 sin i
= cconstant = Refractive index
sin r
i= angle of incidence

r=angle of refraction

Refractive Index (𝜼) :

It tells us how dense a medium is.

Or

It tells us how much light bends when it enters a different medium.

Or

It means how slow light is travelling in 1 medium compared to another.

 Refractive index has no unit.

 Refractive index is denoted by "𝜂" (Eta).
 Value of Refractive index is greater than one for a denser medium.

Speed of light in medium 1

η=
Speed of light in medium 2
Formula:

η12 = η2 = v1
η1 v2

𝜂12 = Refractive index of medium 2 w.r.t 1

V = Speed of light

NOTE: More the Refractive Index ↑ More will be the density of the medium ↑

And less will be the speed of light in medium ↓ and vice versa

Absolute refractive Index:

When first medium is air, and second medium is any medium

Definition: The refractive index of a medium w.r.t air (vacuum) is called absolute refractive index.

Speed of light in air

Absolute Refractive index of medium 2 =
Speed of light in medium 2

c
η2 =
v2
η2: Refractive index of medium 2

C: Speed of light in air = 3 × 108 m/s

v2 : Speed of light in medium 2