1.

Introduction
Much of our experience of the world comes through light
and sound. Without light, life would be impossible. We
need light to see objects around us. Plants use light
energy to manufacture food. In fact, light from the Sun is
the source of nearly all of our energy and warmth.
The phenomenon of light, the explanation of what it is,
and of why objects are visible, has taken a long time to be
understood.
Look around your darkened room at night. You cannot see
an object in the dark. This means that eyes alone cannot see
any object. It is only when light from an object enters our
eyes that we see the object. Thus, light is a form of energy
which excites our sense of sight.
Sources of light
During the day, the primary source of light is the Sun and the secondary source is the
brightness of the sky. Other common sources are flames, electric bulbs, tube lights
(fluorescent tubes), compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

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2. Luminous and nonluminous objects
Look around, in a darkened room at night. You cannot see the object in the dark. This
means that eye alone cannot see any objects. It is only when light from an object enters our
eyes that we see the object. Thus, light is a form of energy which excites our sense of
vision.

Luminous
body
Light
Non-luminous
body
Luminous and non-luminous objects
(i) Luminous body : An object which emits light by itself is called a luminous source of
light. The Sun and the stars are natural, luminous
sources of light. Electric bulbs, lanterns, fluorescent
tubes and candles are artificial sources of light.
(ii) Non-luminous body : A body which does not emit
light of its own is called a non-luminous body.
A non-luminous body becomes visible only when
light from a luminous body falls on it. We are able to
see a non-luminous object because the light reflected
by it enters our eyes and produces the sensation of
sight.
The Moon is a non-luminous body which shines, and is visible because it reflects the light
that it receives from the Sun. In other words, moon light is reflected sunlight.

How could we see non-luminous objects and luminous objects ?

[106]
 Explanation
When the light falls on a non-luminous object, it reflects a part of the light towards us.
When this light reaches our eyes, we could see an object. A luminous object emits its own
light. When this light reaches our eyes, we could see a luminous object. Thus, for us to see
an object, it must reflect or emit some light that reaches our eyes.
3. Objects
Opaque objects
An object is said to be ‘opaque’ if it does not allow any light to pass through it. An opaque
object reflects a part of the light falling on it and remaining part is absorbed by it.
Transparent objects
An object is said to be ‘transparent’ if it transmits most of the light falling on it. Only a very
small part of light may be absorbed or reflected from it. We can see clearly an object
present behind the transparent object. e.g. a plain glass slab is a transparent object
(or medium).
Translucent objects
An object is said to be ‘translucent’ if it transmits a part of the light falling on it that is not
sufficient to see clearly an object present behind it.
☞ For a highly polished surface or mirror, most of the light falling on it gets reflected. For a
transparent medium like glass or water, most of the light falling on it gets transmitted.

1. Take a steel tumbler, a glass tumbler and a milky or tinted glass tumbler. Take three wax
candles of sizes smaller than the heights of the tumblers.
2. Place one candle each inside the above tumblers. Now, ignite all the three candles placed
inside the tumblers. You will not see candle or its flame placed in the steel tumbler [see
figure (a)]. You will see the candle and its flame clearly placed in the glass tumbler [see
figure (b)]. The candle and its flame will appear to you blurred that was placed in the milky
or tinted glass tumbler [see figure (c)].

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 Active Physics 1

Thus, we can conclude that the steel tumbler is an opaque object, the glass tumbler is a
transparent object and the milky or tinted glass tumbler is a translucent object.
Some basic terms

Ray of light : A ray of light is the direction in which light travels.

Ray of light

Beam of light : A bundle of light rays is called beam of light (or light beam).

Convergent beam : A beam of light in which all the rays move towards a single point is
called convergent beam (figure (a)).

Divergent beam : A beam of light in which all the rays emerge out from a single point is
called divergent beam (figure (b)).

Parallel beam : A beam of light in which all the rays are parallel to each other is called
parallel beam (figure (c)).

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 Various beams of light
4. Rectilinear propagation of light

On a misty night, you may have seen the beams of light

from the headlamps of a car, or you may have had fun
watching the powerful beams of light rotated in the sky by
circus companies or the organisers of a fair. You may even
have seen beams of sunlight making their way through the
clouds or through the leaves of trees. Perhaps you have
noticed that all such beams of light are always straight.
Light always travels in straight lines. This is called the
rectilinear propagation of light.

There are three main effects of rectilinear propagation of light

1. Formation of shadows 2. Formation of eclipse 3. Formation of images

1. Take three rectangular cardboard sheets of equal size and make a tiny hole using a pin in
the centre of each. The centre of the cardboard can be located by drawing the diagonals of
the rectangular sheets. The point of intersection of the diagonals is the centre of the
cardboard sheet.
2. Now, fix each cardboard sheet in vertical position by simply pasting them on a wooden or
cardboard base using an adhesive (glue) so that their centres are in the same horizontal
line [see figure (a)]. Let us mark these sheets as A, B and C.
3. Place a burning candle in front of the sheet A and look through the pin hole in sheet C. You
will see the candle clearly.

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4. Now remove the sheet B from its position and paste it again at small distance away from its
original position [see figure (b)]. Again look through pin hole C. This time you will not see
the candle.
From this activity, we conclude that light travels in a straight line. When pin holes on the
cardboard sheets are in straight line, the light passes through them. When pin holes on the
cardboad sheet are not in straight line, light fails to pass through them.

(a) Candle flame can be seen as all three sheets are in a straight line

(b) Candle flame cannot be seen as all three sheets are not in a straight line

Active Physics 2

Properties of light
(1) Light is a form of energy that travels in the form of waves.
(2) Light waves spread out in all directions as they move away from a source.
(3) Light can travel through empty space (vacuum), without needing a solid, liquid, or gas
medium.
(4) Light rays from any source always travel in straight lines. This is called rectilinear
propagation of light.
(5) Regardless of its source, a ray of light will not change direction unless it travels through
a different medium or is disturbed in some way.
(6) A light wave will spread out if it travels past the edge of a object or if it moves through a
narrow opening.

[110]
 (7) Light travels through space at the fastest speed, about 300000 km/s or 3 × 108 m/s. The
speed of light is represented in scientific formulas by the letter ‘c’. In other transparent
medium like water or glass, the speed of light is slightly less than the speed of light in
space.
(8) Light has colours. Ordinary light that we see in everyday life is called white light as it
appears white to us. This white light consists of seven colours namely violet, indigo,
blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
(9) Light has different intensities i.e., it can be bright or dim. For example, a 100 W bulb will
glow brighter than a 40 W bulb. Sunlight in early morning is dimmer than the sunlight
in the afternoon.
5. Reflection of light rays
As light hits an object, some of the light is reflected or bounced off the object. The light
travels back to your eye and lets you to see the object.

☞ Reflection is the bouncing of light rays off a surface. In other words, 'reflection' is the
sending back of all or a part of a beam of light as it strikes a surface.

1. Fix a white sheet of paper on a drawing board or a table. Take a comb and close all its
openings using a black paper sheet except one in the middle. Hold the comb perpendicular
to the sheet of paper.
2. Mark a point O at the middle of the bottom edge of the mirror. Then use the protractor and
the ruler to draw a line on the paper perpendicular to the mirror from the mark. Label this
line N. This line is called ‘normal’. Draw a line on the paper from O at a particular angle say
30° to line N.

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3. Turn on the flashlight (torch) and place it so the beam is along the 30° line. This is the angle
of incidence. Measure and record the angle that the reflected beam makes with line N. This
is the angle of reflection.
4. Now, measure the angle of reflection (r). You will find that the angle of reflection is 30°.
Repeat this activity, by making other angles such as 45°, 60° with the line N. In each case,
you will find that the ‘angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection’.

30°
30°
Incident ray
Torch
Table
N
Reflected
ray
Mirror
Comb
O
Active physics 5
☞ The angle between an incoming light ray and a surface is equal to the angle between the
reflected light ray and the same surface. This relationship is called the law of reflection.
Some basic terms
Incident ray : The ray of light which falls on the
mirror surface is called ‘incident ray’.
Reflected ray : The ray of light which is sent back
by the mirror is called ‘reflected ray’.
Point of incidence : The point at which the incident
ray falls on the mirror is called ‘point of incidence’.
Normal : A line perpendicular to the surface of
mirror passing through the point of incidence is
called ‘normal’.
Angle of incidence : The angle made by incident
ray with the normal at the point of incidence is
called ‘angle of incidence’.
Angle of reflection : The angle made by reflected ray with the normal at the point of
incidence is called ‘angle of reflection’.
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First law
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence, all lie in the
same plane.
Second law
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

🟋 In first law of reflection when we talk about same plane we are basically talking about

two dimensional plane (See above figure PQRS).

How is a ray of light reflected when it is incident

normally on a plane mirror?
Explanation
For a ray incident normally on a surface, the angle of
incidence i = 0°, therefore the angle of reflection r = 0°.
Thus, a ray of light AO incident normally on a surface is
reflected along the same path OA as shown in figure.

When light incident normally over a reflecting surface angle between incident ray and
reflecting surface is 90° but angle of incidence and angle of reflection = 0

How can you find the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?
Explanation
Let an incident ray 1 falls on a plane mirror at an angle of incidence x, then by the law of
reflection, the angle of reflection is also x.

[113]
 Finding angle between incident ray and reflected ray
Now, we can find angle y (angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray) from the
figure,
x + x + y = 180° (angle of a straight line is 180°)
or 2x + y = 180° or y = 180° – 2x
Angle y is also known as angle of deviation.

Whenever angle between incident ray(Original path) and reflected ray is asked we always
find angle of deviation.

Figure shows an incident ray AO and the normal ON on a plane mirror. The angle which the
incident ray AO makes with the mirror is 30°. Find the angle of incidence and angle of
reflection. What is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?

Plane mirror
N
A
r
i
y
30°
Numerical Ability 1
Solution
As shown in the figure, the angle between the surface of the mirror and the incident ray is
30°.
∠i + 30° = 90°

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 ∠i = 90° – 30° = 60° ∠i = 60°

∠i = ∠r (According to law of reflection)

∠r = 60°

Given, the angle of incidence, x = 60°.

The angle between the incident ray and reflected ray is given by,
y = 180° – 2x
y = 180° – 2 × 60°
y = 180° – 120° = 60°

🟋 An angle is made up of two rays that have the same end point.

0°
180°
90°

1. Do we see all objects due to reflected light ?

2. What are the uses of transparent, translucent and opaque materials ?
3. Is it possible to have a ray of light ?
6. Regular and diffuse reflection
Regular reflection (specular reflection)
If a parallel beam of light is incident on a smooth plane mirror, the reflected beam is also a
parallel beam. This reflection is called ‘regular reflection’.
Reason : The light rays strike the smooth surface at same angles of incidence. This is
because all the normals are parallel to each other on the smooth surface. Thus, the light
rays get reflected at same angles of reflection. That is why, the rays of reflected beam
remains parallel to each other [figure (a)].

[115]
 Reflection through smooth and rough surfaces
Diffuse reflection (irregular reflection)
If a parallel beam of light is incident on a rough surface or mirror, the rays of light become
non-parallel to each other. Such a reflection is called ‘diffuse reflection’.
Reason : The light rays strike the rough surface at many different angles of incidence. This
is because all the normal are not parallel to each other on the rough surface. Thus, the light
rays get reflected at many different angles. That is why, the rays of reflected beam become
non-parallel to each other [figure (b)].

Why do you see your image in water when you stand on the edge of a lake and look in
the water ? Is it always possible to see a clear image in water ?
Explanation
You see your image in water due to reflection of light from the surface of water. When light
bounces off a smooth surface of lake, the reflection is clear. You can see exactly what is
reflected. But if a strong wind blew across the smooth lake, it would be hard to see your
reflection clearly in the wavy water. The light would be bouncing off in all directions, and
your reflection would be blurry (unclear).

1. Almost everything we see around us, can be seen due to reflected light. Moon, for example,
receives light from the Sun and reflects it, that's why we see the Moon.

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2. Transparent materials are used in making window panes, spectacles, binoculars, telescopes
etc. Windows and doors are made of translucent materials so that only a small amount of
light can enter the room. Opaque objects are used when we do not want to allow light to
pass through it.
3. A ray of light is an idealization. In reality, we have a narrow beam of light which is made up
of several rays. For simplicity, we use the term ray for narrow beam.

7. Plane mirror
When you look into a plane mirror, you see a clear image of yourself. The image is formed
due to reflection. Reflection always involves two rays - an incoming or "incident" ray and an
outgoing or "reflected" ray.
When an object is viewed in a mirror, the eyes take in the light that has been reflected. But
the brain assumes that the light rays have reached the eyes in straight lines.
The brain works backwards along the light paths and perceives an image behind the mirror.
Reflection from plane mirrors

A mirror is a highly polished surface used to reflect the light falling on it. Mirrors are
usually made by depositing a thin layer of silver metal on one side of a plane glass sheet.

Some basic terms

Object : Anything which gives out light rays either of its own or due to reflection is called
an 'object'.

Point object : An object whose dimensions are negligibly small is called ‘point object’

Extended object : An object whose dimensions are quite large is called ‘extended object’

Point objects ∙ Symbols used in

Extended objects ↑ ray diagrams

Image : An image of an object is formed when light rays coming from the object meet or
appear to meet at a point after reflection from a mirror or refraction from a lens.

Real image : A real image is one which is formed when the light rays actually meet at a
point and which can be obtained on a screen.
Virtual image : A virtual image is one which is formed when the rays do not actually meet
at a point but they appear to meet at a point. Such images cannot be obtained on the
screen.

[117]
 Reflection from plane mirror

🟋 Virtual image is always erect.

🟋 Real image is always inverted.

Image formed by a plane mirror

The properties of image formed by plane mirrors are
(1) The image is virtual and erect.
(2) The distance of image from mirror is equal to distance of object from mirror.
(3) The size of image is exactly equal to the size of object.
(4) The image is laterally inverted.

Image
Object
i

[118]
r
(a) Formation of
image of a point object
Image
Object
r
A'
A
B
B'
i
i'
r'
(b) Formation of
image of an extended object
Formation of image by a plane mirror

If the object is shifted by the distance ‘d’ towards mirror, the image will also shift by the
same distance ‘d’ towards the mirror. If an object moves with a speed ‘v’ towards (or away)
from the mirror, the image to him will appear to move with a speed ‘2v’ towards (or away)
from him.
Lateral inversion
When an asymmetric object is placed in front of a plane mirror, then the right side of the
object appears to be the left side of image and the left side of the object appears to be the
right side of its image. This change of sides of an object seen in the image is called ‘left -
right inversion’ or ‘lateral inversion’ (see figure). The image is inverted side ways, thus, also
called ‘side ways inversion’.

Lateral inversion of image in a plane mirror

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1. Why does wet surface glow more than a dry surface ?
2. Which is easier, to read from rough pages or to read from glossy (shinny) pages ? Explain
your answer.
3. Find out the letters of English alphabet in which the image formed in a plane mirror appear
exactly like the letter itself.
4. How is a mirror made ?

Man A is standing, and facing a plane mirror while man B is running towards him
from behind at a speed of 1 ms–1. How fast does the image of man B seem to be
running as observed by (a) man A (b) man B ?

Mirror
Man A
←1 ms–1
Man B
Building concepts 5

Explanation
In the above figure, man A is standing facing a plane mirror while man B is running
towards the same mirror (coming from behind man A) at speed 1 m/s.
Following conclusions can be drawn in this event :
(a) If man A observes in the mirror, the image of man B in the mirror seems to moves
towards him at speed 1 m/s.
(b) Man B is running towards mirror at speed 1 m/s. Also, his image in the mirror is
running towards him at speed 1 m/s. Since the direction of motion of both 'man B' and

[120]
 his image are opposite to each other, the speed of 'image of man B' as seen by the
'running man B 'will be 1 m/s + 1 m/s = 2 m/s.

Mirror
Man A

←1 ms–1
Man B
Image of
Man A
1 ms–1 →
Man B
Building concepts 5

1. A wet surface glows more than a dry surface because wet surface is more smooth than
normal surface so regular reflection of light takes place.
2. It is much easier to read from rough pages which provide for diffuse reflection. Glossy
pages result in specular reflection and cause a glare (a shine). The reader may see an image
of the light bulb which illuminates the glossy page.
3. A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y
4. To make a mirror, a thin and uniform glass is taken. One surface of the mirror is made
opaque by silvering it. Over the silvered surface, another thin coating of red lead oxide is
given which protects the silvering of the mirror.
8. Spherical mirrors
A spherical mirror is that mirror whose reflecting surface is curved part of hollow sphere.
Suppose a hollow sphere has a polished mirror surface on the inside as well as outside. By
removing a section of the sphere, a double-sided spherical mirror is obtained with a
concave reflecting surface on one side and a convex reflecting surface on the other
(see figure).

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☞ The concave reflecting surface is curved inwards. The convex reflecting surface is curved
outwards.

A hollow
sphere
Convex
mirror
Concave
mirror
A spherical mirror formed from a hollow sphere.
+
Concave mirror
A spherical mirror in which the reflection of light takes
place at bent-in surface is called ‘concave mirror’.
Concave mirror is also called ‘converging mirror’. This is
because the parallel beam of light after reflection, converge
at a single point [Figure (a)].
Convex mirror
A spherical mirror in which the reflection of light takes
place at bulging-out surface is called ‘convex mirror’.
Convex mirror is also called ‘diverging mirror’. This is
because the parallel beam of light after reflection, appears to diverge from a single point.
Concave mirror is silvered on the outside of the sphere and convex mirror is silvered on the
inside of the sphere.

[122]
Virtual focus
(b) A convex mirror
Real focus
(a) A concave mirror
(c) Image seen from concave mirror (d) Image seen from convex mirror
Action of concave mirror and convex mirror.

1. Take a large shinning spoon and look at its inner curved surface. When your face is quite
close to the spoon, you will see your erect and magnified image. Now, slowly move the
spoon away from you. You will see your inverted and magnified image. As the spoon is
moved further away, the inverted image gradually decreases [see figure (a)].

(a) Looking at the inner surface of a shining spoon

(b) Looking at the outer surface of a shining spoon
Active Physics 4
2. Now, look at the outer curved surface of the spoon. You will see your erect and diminished
image. As the spoon is moved further away, the image remains erect and its size gradually
decreases [see figure (b)].
Conclusion : The inner curved surface of the spoon acts as a concave mirror. The outer
curved surface of the spoon acts as a convex mirror.
Some basic terms related to spherical mirrors

[123]
 Centre of curvature : The point in space that represents the centre of the hollow sphere
from which the spherical mirror was cut is called ‘centre of curvature’.
The centre of the hollow sphere from which the spherical mirror is formed is called ‘centre
of curvature’.
Pole (or vertex) : The middle point on the surface of a spherical mirror is called ‘pole’.
The geometric centre of the curved mirror surface is called ‘pole’.
Radius of curvature : The radius of hollow sphere from which the mirror is formed is
called ‘radius of curvature’.
The distance between the centre of curvature and the pole of a spherical mirror is called
‘radius of curvature’.
Principal axis : A line passing through the pole and the centre of curvature of the spherical
mirror is called ‘principal axis’.
An imaginary line drawn through the pole, perpendicular to the surface of the spherical
mirror at the pole is called ‘principal axis’.
Principal focus :The point on the principal axis where all rays
parallel to principal axis either converge or appear to diverge
after reflection is called ‘principal focus’.
Focal length : The distance between the focus and pole of a
spherical mirror is called ‘focal length’.

(b) A Convex mirror

R
Principal
axis
Virtual space
[124]
 A
Real space
P
F
C
B
f
(a) A Concave mirror
R
Principal
axis
Real space
A
Virtual
space
C
P
F
B
f
C : Center of curvature ; F : Principals focus ; P : Pole or vertex ; f : focal length ;
R : Radius of curvature
Basic geometry and terms of concave and convex mirrors
9. Rules to obtain images in spherical mirrors
Concave mirrors
(1) The ray parallel to the principal axis, after reflection, passes through the principal focus
F of a concave mirror. [see figure (a)]
(2) A ray passing through the principal focus of a concave mirror, is reflected parallel to the
principal axis. [see figure (b)]
(3) A ray passing through the centre of curvature of a concave mirror, is reflected back
along its own path. [see figure (c)]

(b)
P
F
C
(c)
P

[125]
F
C
P
F
C
(a)
Rules for concave mirrors to obtain images

Convex mirrors

(1) The ray parallel to the principal axis, after reflection, appears to diverge from the
principal focus of a convex mirror. [see figure (a)]

(2) A ray which is directed towards the principal focus in a convex mirror, is reflected
parallel to the principal axis. [see figure (b)]

(3) A ray directed towards the centre of curvature in a convex mirror, is reflected back
along its own path. [see figure (c)]

P
C
F
(a)
(b)
P
C
F
(c)
P
F
C
Rules for convex mirrors to obtain images

10. Image formation by a concave mirror

[126]
 A'
C
B'
A
B
F
P
(a) Object placed between pole and focus
C
A
F
P
(b) Object placed at focus
B
A'
C
B'
A
B
F
P
(c) Object placed between
focus and centre of curvature

C
A
P

[127]
 (d) Object placed at C
F
B'
B
A'
A'
C
B'
B
F
P
(e) Object Placed beyond C
A
C
P
(f) Object at infinity
F
Images formed by a concave mirror

Image formation by concave mirror

Position of the object Position of the Image Size of the image Nature of the image
Between P and F Behind the mirror Enlarged Virtual and erect
Highly enlarged real
At F At infinity Real and inverted
and inverted
Between C and F Beyond C Enlarged Real and inverted
At C At C Same size Real and inverted
Beyond C Between F and C Diminished Real and inverted
Highly diminished,
At infinity At the focus F Real and inverted
point-sized

1. Take a concave mirror and allow the sun rays to fall on it. Take paper and move it towards
the concave mirror till you obtain a bright sharp spot of light on it. The spot obtained is the
image of the sun.

2. Now, measure the distance between paper and the concave mirror. This distance is an
approximate focal length of the concave mirror.

[128]
 Active Physics 5

3. If this spot is kept on the paper for few minutes, the paper will start burning. This is
because the light energy gets converted into heat energy.

11. Image formation by a convex mirror

The image formed by a convex mirror is always behind the mirror that is, it is always
virtual and erect. Also, the size of image is always diminished, that is, its size is always
smaller than that of the object.

The rays parallel to principal axis, after reflection, appears to diverge from the principal
focus of the convex mirror [see figure (b)]. The image formed at the focus, behind the
mirror is highly diminished. The image is virtual and erect.

C
F
P
(b) Object at infinity
P
C
F
(a) Object placed at some finite distance
[129]
B'
A'
B
A
Images formed by a convex mirror
Image formation by convex mirror

Position of the Position of the Size of the Nature of the

object image image image
Between infinity Between P and F, Diminished Virtual and
and the pole P behind the mirror erect
At infinity At the focus F, Highly diminished, Virtual and
behind the mirror point-sized erect
12. Uses of mirror
Plane mirrors and curved mirrors find a wide range of applications.
Plane mirrors
These are used as looking glasses and for making instruments like periscopes and
kaleidoscopes. Plane mirrors are also used on stage to create illusions and effects.

Mirror
Mirror

(a) Plane mirror used as looking glass (b) A periscope (c) Working of a periscope
Uses of plane mirror
Concave mirrors
(i) Shaving mirror : Used as a shaving mirror since it gives rise to an erect and enlarged
image when the object is placed close enough, i.e., within its focal length.

[130]
 Concave mirror as magnifier

(ii) Reflectors : Head lights of cars and search lights use concave mirrors to produce a
strong parallel beam of light. In reflectors, the source of light is placed at the focus,
which, after reflection forms a parallel beam.

A bulb placed at the focus of a concave mirror produces a strong, almost parallel beam

(iii) In solar furnace : The parallel beam of the Sun's rays are converged and their energy
that is focused at a point is sufficient to generate adequate heat for cooking and other
purposes.

Solar
furnace
A solar furnace placed at the focus of a concave mirror

(iv) In hospital and clinics : Doctors use concave mirrors to focus light and magnify the
internal body parts such as the teeth, ear, nose, throat.

[131]
 (v) To see far object on screen : Concave mirrors can be used to see the image of far
objects formed on screen.

Concave mirror used by doctor Formation of image of far object

Convex mirrors
(i) Street lamps : Street lamps also use convex mirrors to diverge light over an extended
area.
(ii) Rear view mirrors : Convex mirrors are used as rear view mirrors to see erect but
smaller image of the vehicle (see figure).

(a) Street lamp (b) Rear view mirror in a vehicle

Uses of convex mirror

1. A person is facing a mirror, observing a light bulb. At what position does the person see the
image of the light bulb?

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Mirror
1
2
3
4
5
Light
bulb
Eye
Check your concepts 3
2. Identify the type of mirror that is used by dentist.
3. A real, extended object when placed in front of a mirror, a virtual and erect image is formed.
Predict the type of mirror if (a) the image is diminished (b) the image is exactly same size
as that of the object (c) the image is magnified.
13. Lenses
A lens is a piece of transparent glass bound by spherical surfaces.
Convex lens : A convex lens is a piece of a transparent glass bound by two bulging out
surfaces. It is thick at the middle and thinner at the edges. It is also called ‘double convex
lens’ or ‘biconvex lens’.
☞ A convex lens is a ‘converging lens’ because the light rays after refraction through it,
converge to meet at a single point.
Concave lens : A concave lens is a piece of transparent glass bound by two bent-in (or
bulging-in) surfaces. This is thin in the middle but thicker at the edges. It is also called
‘double concave’ or ‘biconcave lens’.
☞ A concave lens is a ‘diverging lens’ because the parallel beam of light rays after refraction
through it, appear to diverge from a single point (figure).

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 (a) Convex lens (b) Concave lens
Different types of lenses

🟋 Lenses also formed from a hollow sphere glass.

🟋 Parallel rays appear or converge to meet at a single point name as a focus.

🟋 Magnified means that image is formed larger than the object.

🟋 Diminished means image is formed smaller than object.

Basic terms used in lenses

Optical centre : The middle point of a spherical lens is called its ‘optical centre’.
Principal axis : The line passing through the optical centre of the lens which is
perpendicular to both the faces of the lens is called its ‘principal axis’.
Principal focus : The point on the principal axis of a lens where all the rays parallel to
principal axis, converge or appear to diverge after refraction is called ‘principal focus’.
Focal length : The distance between the focus and the optical centre of a lens is called its
‘focal length’.

2F2
F2
2F1
F1
2F1
F1

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2F2
F2
Nature of convex lens and concave lens

🟋 F1 = principle focus 1, F2 = principle focus 2, 2F1 = centre of curvature 1, 2F2 = centre of

curvature 2.
🟋 Parallel rays appear or converge to meet at a single point name as a focus.

Mirror
1
2
3
4
5
Light
bulb
Eye
Check your answers 3

1. The person see the image of the light bulb at position

3. This is because the image is formed exactly in front
of the object. Also, the distance of the object from the
mirror is exactly equal to the distance of the image
from the mirror. explains how the person sees the
image using ray diagram.
2. Concave mirror is used by dentist because it is used as
magnifier.
3. (a) A virtual, erect and diminished image is formed in a convex mirror.
(b) A virtual, erect and same size image is formed in a plane mirror.
(c) A virtual, erect and magnified image is formed in a concave mirror.

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1. Take a convex lens and allow the sun rays to fall on it. Take paper and move it towards the
convex lens till you obtain a bright sharp spot of light on it. The spot obtained is the image
of the sun. Now, measure the distance between paper and the concave mirror. This distance
is an approximate focal length of the convex lens.

Active Physics 6
2. If this spot is kept on the paper for few minutes, the paper will start burning. This is
because the light energy gets converted into heat energy.
14. Image formation by a convex lens
The image formed by a convex lens can be real and virtual, depending upon the distance
between the lens and the object.
The image obtained from the lens is enlarged when the object is placed between optical
center and the focus. This image is virtual and erect.

Image formed by a convex lens when object is placed between optical center and focus.
The size of the image formed in a convex lens varies when the object is moved beyond
focus, away from the lens. The image formed is real and inverted and it’s size gets reducing
as the object is moved away from the lens.

(a) (b)
Image formed by a convex lens for different distances between the lens and the object.

15. Image formation by a concave lens

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 The image formed by a concave lens is always on the same side as the object and it is
always virtual and erect. Also, the size of image is always diminished, that is, its size is
always smaller than that of the object.

Image formation by a concave lens

Uses of curved lenses
(i) Convex lens is used as a magnifying glass as it can formed enlarged and erect image of
an object.
(ii) There is a convex lens in each eye. The lens collects light from an object in front of it
and focuses it on the retina. The retina sends the information of the image to the brain
through optic nerves.
(iii) Lenses are used in spectacles to correct short-sightedness and long sightedness.
(iv) Lenses are used in optical instruments like cameras, binoculars, microscopes,
telescopes.

Uses of lenses
16. Dispersion of white light
Sunlight is referred to as white light. It consists of seven colours. When white light travels
through a triangular cross-section piece of glass called a prism, a rainbow-like pattern
appears on the other side. This effect is called dispersion. Dispersion is a method of
demonstrating that white light is composed of many different colours (wavelengths) of
light.

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☞ The phenomenon of splitting up of white light into its constituent colours is called
‘dispersion of light’.

Dispersion of light
When light is made to pass through prism, the lights of different colours travel with
different speeds. The red light travels the fastest, thus bending the least, while violet light is
the slowest, bending the most.
Some of the examples of dispersion of white light are formation of a rainbow and a CD
placed in the sun. A rainbow is formed when the white light from the sun is splitted into
seven colours by the water drops present in the sky during the rainy season.

A rainbow A CD placed in the sun

How do we see colour of any object ?

Explanation
As you know, sunlight (or white light) is composed of seven colours, some colours are
absorbed by objects and the rest reflected. The colour of the object observed by human eye
is the colour reflected by that object.
For example, a red rose appears red because it reflects back to our eyes only the red colour
and absorbs the rest. Similarly the leaves of a plant appear green as they reflect green
colour to our eyes and absorb the rest.

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 What is Newton’s colour disc? What does the Newton’s colour disc experiment
establish about the nature of white light ?
Y
G
B
I
V
R
O
(a)
(b)
(b) It appears white on rotating

Explanation
Newton’s colour disc is a metallic or cardboard disc
painted with seven colours of the spectrum (see figure).
The sector of each colour is painted in the order and
ratio of amount of colour found in solar spectrum, i.e.,
VIBGYOR. When the disc connected to a wheel is rotated
at a high speed in a vertical plane, disc appears dull
white. It establishes that recombination of the spectrum
colours (VIBGYOR) gives white light.
The coloured disc appears white because of a property of our eyes called persistence of
vision. This means that an image formed by the eye remains for a fraction of a second.
When the disc is rotated at a high speed, the images of the different colours overlap in our
eyes and the brain perceives it as white.

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 Light

Laws
Types
Plane mirror
Concave mirror
Convex mirror
Reflection
of light
Lenses
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 Concave
Convex
Regular
Diffuse
First Law
Second Law
Mirrors
Virtual & erect,
Real & inverted,
Diminished,
Magnified,
Same size
Virtual &
erect,
Diminished
Virtual & erect,
Same size,
Laterally inverted
Virtual & erect, Real and inverted
Diminished
Magnified
Same size
Virtual,
Erect, diminished

Bouncing back of light

Prism
Dispersion of white light
VIBGYOR

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 Some Basic Terms
1. Transparent : It is an object through which we can see object clearly.
2. Refraction : When a light travel from one medium to another medium.
3. Spectrum : Band of seven colours formed after dispersion of light.
4. Bulging out : Surface which is curved outward, sticking out.
5. Intensity : The quantity of energy the wave convey per unit time.
6. Normally : When a light ray falls on a surface at a right angle.
7. Medium : It is a substance through which light can propagate.
8. Dispersion – process of white light splitting into its constituent colours.
9. Erect : a straight vertical position, or standing up or out from a surface or body
10. Rectilinear – it is used to mean "straight," so if something moves in a straight line, it has
rectilinear motion.
11. Fusion : Fusion occurs when two atoms slam together to form a heavier atom, like when
two hydrogen atoms fuse to form one helium atom.
12. Amplitude : The maximum displacement or distance moved by a point on a vibrating body
or wave measured from its equilibrium position.
13. Diminished : To make less or cause to appear less.
14. Vertex : A point where two or more edges meet.
15. Spectrum : Spectrum is the band of colours obtained on a screen when white light passes
through a prism and splits into its constituent colours.

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