Abdul Kadir Molla

International School
Light
Chapter- 15
Grade: 7

Light rays

When light is sent from one medium to another, three different phenomena occur simultaneously. One of them is reflection
and the other two are refraction and absorption.

While traversing from the first medium into the second medium, if a part of light returns to the first medium, the
phenomenon is called reflection. Reflection or Reflection of light is the process of bouncing back light rays when it
strikes the smooth, polished and shiny reflecting surface. Light propagates in a straight line before, after, and during
reflection. For example, the twinkling of stars or the light that a mirror reflects.

Reflection of light

Some parts of it may enter the second medium which is called refraction. Refraction of light is defined as the change in
direction or the bending of a wave passing from one medium to another due to the change in speed of the wave. Some
natural phenomena occurring in nature where refraction of light takes place are the twinkling of stars, the formation of
mirages and Rainbows, Optical illusions, and many more.

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
The bending of a light wave when it passes from one medium to another due to the change in the speed of the light
traveling the two different media is called the Refraction of light. When light travels from air into water, it slows down,
causing it to change direction slightly. This change of direction is called refraction. When light enters a more dense substance
(higher refractive index), it ‘bends’ more towards the normal line.

Some of it may be absorbed which is called absorption. In this chapter we will discuss reflection and in the next chapter
we will discuss refraction. Light absorption is a process by which light is absorbed and converted into energy. An
example of this process is photosynthesis in plants.

Some terms used in reflection of light

Plane mirror: A plane mirror is a smooth or highly polished surface

that reflect light in order to form an image. It is a flat, polished, and
reflective surface that produces a virtual image of the real object. A silver
or an aluminum layer is placed behind a glass mirror for proper reflection.

Normal - it is the line drawn perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the

point of incidence.

Incident Ray: A ray of light that falls on the reflecting surface from a
light source or an object is called the incident ray.

Reflected Ray: A ray of light that arises from the reflecting surface after
reflection from it is called a reflected ray.

Angle of Incidence: The angle between the incident ray and normal to the
point of incidence on the reflecting surface is known as the incident angle
or Bugle of incidence. It is denoted by ∠i.

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
Angle of Reflection: The angle between the reflected ray and the normal
to the point of incidence on the reflecting surface is known as the angle of
reflection. It is denoted by ∠r.

Laws of Reflection

 The angle of incidence (∠i) is always equal to the angle of reflection (∠r). <i= <r

Practice question

The properties of image formed in plane mirror.

Image in a mirror is

1. Equidistant from the mirror

2. Virtual
3. Straight
4. Equal to the size of the object

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
 Types of Reflection of Light
1. Regular/Specular Reflection
2. Irregular/Diffused Reflection

 Objects with smooth surface

Smooth surfaces such as glass, still water, polished metals and polished surface produce regular/specular reflection. Light
rays strike on the flat surface and then get reflected. Parallel light rays become parallel after reflecting from mirrors or
smooth plane surfaces because each ray obeys the law of reflection and reflects with an angle of reflection equal to the angle
of incidence. When the reflected rays reach to our eyes, we can see an image.

 Objects with rough surface

Rough surfaces such as cloths, paper, asphalt roadway, wooden materials and unpolished surface produce
irregular/diffused reflection. When light rays strike any of these surfaces, the rays are scattered in different direction. Even
if the plane is not smooth, every ray of light will obey the law of reflection. But the rays are incident at different angles at
different points of the plane, therefore the rays will reflect in different angles after reflection. After reflection, the reflected
rays are not parallel and spread in different directions. These types of reflections are called irregular or diffused reflection.

Refraction of light

The bending of a light wave when it passes from one medium to another due to the change in the speed of the light
traveling the two different media is called the Refraction of light.

This phenomenon also occurs with sound, water, and other waves. Because of this bending of waves that are responsible
for the refraction of light, we have lenses, magnifying glasses, prisms, and rainbows. Due to this phenomenon, our eyes
would not be able to focus, without the refraction of light.
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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
As shown in the above figure, light travels from Medium 1 to Medium 2. Please note that these mediums can be different
materials or substances with different densities. So when an incident ray from medium 1 travels to another medium 2,
the refracted ray bends either towards the normal or away from the normal (depending upon the densities of the mediums).
Laws of Refraction of Light

 The ratio of the sine of the incident angle to the sine of the refracted angle is a constant which is termed Snell’s law.
𝐒𝐢𝐧 𝐢
𝐒𝐢𝐧 𝐫
= μ = constant
Where,

 μ is the refractive index of the medium.

Refractive index
Refractive index also called index of refraction, measure of the bending of a ray of light when passing from one medium
into another.
If i is the angle of incidence of a ray in vacuum (angle between the incoming ray and the perpendicular to the surface of a
medium, called the normal) and r is the angle of refraction (angle between the ray in the medium and the normal), the
refractive index n is defined as the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction; i.e., n =
sin i / sin r.
Refractive index is also equal to the velocity of light c of a given wavelength in empty space divided by its velocity v in
a substance, or n = c/v.
We know the velocity of light in a vacuum is 2.99x108 ms ·1 and when it passes through a medium this velocity decreases.
In a medium, the factor by which the velocity of light reduces is the refraction of light of that medium For instance the
velocity of light in water is 2.26x108 ms·1 therefore the refractive index of water is

i.e. the velocity of light in a vacuum is 1.33 times greater than the velocity of light in water .

Another example, the refractive index of the glass fiber in a fiber optic cable is 1.5.
Therefore, the velocity of light in the fiber is
v = 3 x 108 ms-1 /1.50 = 2.00 x 108 ms-1

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School

Practice Question:

Calculate the velocity of light in the mediums shown in Table.

Answer: We know the velocity of light in any medium:

Relative refractive index:

We can compare the refractive index of a medium with the refractive index of another medium. The ratio of the velocity
of light in the first or incident medium to the velocity of light in the second or reflecting medium is a constant. This
constant value is called relative refractive index.

If light pass from medium 1 to medium 2,

𝑽𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝟏

Relative refractive index = 𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝟐

A ray of light enters from air to a medium X. The speed of light in the medium is 1.5 × 108 m/s and the speed of light in air
is 3 × 108 m/s. Find the Refractive index of the medium X.

Causes of Refraction of Light

As it is known that when light travels in different mediums its speed varies. e.g. light passes through the air than in a
glass. Hence, it can be said that, due to the change in the speed of light in different mediums that the light rays are
refracted.
To understand the causes of refraction of light in much depth let’s understand What are rarer and denser mediums? And
Types of Refractions as:
What are Rarer and Denser mediums?

1. Rarer medium (or Optically Rarer medium): A medium in which light travels comparatively faster than the other
medium is called an optically rare medium. For example, Air is optically rarer medium as compared to glass and
water.
2. Denser medium (or Optically Denser medium) is a medium in which the speed of light decreases when light travels
through it. For example, Glass is optically denser medium as compared to air.

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
Types of Refraction
The refraction of light occurs in different ways depending on the medium through which the light travels.
 Refraction from rarer to denser medium – When light rays pass through rarer to a denser medium, the light rays
bend towards the normal. Due to this the angle of refraction is smaller than the angle of incidence. e.g. In the case
when light rays pass from air to water or from air to glass, it bends towards normal. It is because of the reason that
the speed of light rays reduces while passing from air to glass or water.

 Refraction from denser to rarer medium – When light rays pass from denser to rarer medium, the light rays bend
away from the normal. Due to this the angle of refraction becomes more than the angle of incidence. e.g. In case
when light rays pass from water to air or glass to air, light rays bend away from the normal. The speed of light rays
becomes greater while passing from glass or water to air.

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
Practice Questions
1. A ray of light goes from a denser medium to a rarer medium, will it bend towards the normal or away from the
normal?
2. A ray of light travels from a rarer medium to a denser medium. How will it bend?
3. When a ray of light travels from water to air, it bends _______ the normal.

4. The refractive index of a material is 1.33. If the velocity of light in vacuum is 3 × 108m/s , find the velocity of light
in the material.
5. Refractive index of water is 4/3 .Calculate the speed of light in water. Speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 108m/s.
6. The velocity of light in air is 3 × 108m/s. Calculate the velocity of light in diamond of refractive index 2.5.
7. What is the index of refraction in a medium where the speed of light is 1.5 X 108 m/s?
8. What is the speed of light in water whose refractive index is 1.33?

Example of refraction of light

1. Did you ever hunt fishes? Does a fish stay at the position at which you see the fish in transparent water? Not at all.
In fact, we observe the virtual image of the fish. The fish stays at a position which a bit lower than where it appears to
be. If you hunt the fish with a spear, you have to aim it at a deeper and farther position than its apparent position.
Something similar happens about the appearance of steps under transparent water. The real position of a step under
water is lower than it appears when we look obliquely.

2. Well, let’s do an experiment in which light refracting from a glass bowl or a glass. To do this, take a glass bowl or glass
from your kitchen and fill it with water and now try seeing through it. You will see something like this:

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
The pencil seems deformed in the water because
light cannot travel through the water as rapidly as it
can through the air. The pencil has a tiny
magnification effect due to the light refraction,
which makes the angle appear larger than it actually
is and makes the pencil appear crooked.

Newton’s investigation with prism

Isaac Newton was an English scientist who made many scientific invetigations. He bought a prism at a fair. A prism is
a triangular glass or plastic block, used for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting rays of light. He put this
prism in a dark room and shone sunlight onto it from a hole in a window shutter. The light entered the prism and
dispersed to form a spectrum of colors on a screen.

The process of splitting up of white light into different colors is called dispersion. This is because the different colors
of light travel at very slightly different angles by the prism. This makes them spread out or dispersed.

Absorbing and reflecting colors:

When a ray of sunlight strikes the surface of an object, all the different colors in it may be reflected or they may all be
absorbed. If all the colors are reflected, the object appears white; if all the colors are absorbed, the object appears black.

Most objects, absorb some colors and reflects others. For, example, healthy grass reflects mainly green and absorbs
other colors.

Addition of colors

All the colors are a combination of three colors. They are red, green and blue. These three colors are called the primary
colors of light.

When beams of the three primary colors are shone onto a white screen so that they overlap, they produce three secondary
colors (Cyan, Magenta and yellow).

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School

When all the three colors are added together, white light is produced. This combining of three colors of light is called
color addition and the mixing of light is called additive color mixing.

Color subtraction

When light passes through a blue filter, all the colors in the white light are absorbed, except blue light, which passes
through the filter. All the colors in white light have been subtracted from the light, leaving the filter. This results in blue
light passing through the filter and making the filter appear blue.

Basic Information:

1. The speed of light in vacuum space is 3 X 108 m/s.

2. The average time taken for light to travel from the sun to the earth is 8 minutes and 17 seconds.
3.

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