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Physical Science
Quarter 3– Module 2:

Name:
 Lesson

Reflection and Refraction

1
Overview

In your previous Science classes, you have learned about the distinction between Newton’s First Law
of Motion (or Law of Inertia) and Galileo’s idea of motion. To check your understanding please answer the
following questions:
Learning Objectives

After going through this module, I can:

1. Differentiate the theories about reflection and refraction

Activating Prior Knowledge

Task 1: Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet of
paper. One (1) point each correct answer.

1. Which of the following is Sir Isaac Newton’s theory that explains light as a particle?
a. Corpuscular Theory c. Quantum Theory
b. Electromagnetic Wave Theory d. Wave Theory
2. What happens when light hits a smooth surface?
a. Bent around corners c. Reflected
b. Polarized d. Refracted

3. A stick partly submerged obliquely in water appears to be bent at a point where it enters
the water surface. Which one of the following gives explanation for this observation?
a. Dispersion of light on entering water
b. Light does not travel in straight line in water.
c. Diffraction of light by the surface of the water
d. Refraction of light due to differences in speed of light in air

4. What did the experiment of Galileo and Roemer want to prove?

a. The speed of light is finite c. The speed of light is slow
b. The speed of light is infinite d. The speed of light is immeasurable

5. Which of the following did Roemer study closely that led him to measure the speed of light?
a. The time of orbit of Io around Jupiter.
b. The revolution of Io around Jupiter.
c. The rotation of Io around Jupiter.
d. The time of rotation of Io on its axis.

6. Which of the following statement is TRUE in the idea of Roemer about the speed of light?
a. When Earth is farther away from Jupiter, light needs shorter time to reach Earth.
b. When Earth is closer to Jupiter, light needs shorter time to reach the Earth.
c. When the Earth is closer to Jupiter, light needs longer time to reach the Earth.
d. When Earth is farther away from Jupiter, light needs the same time to reach Earth.

7. Which of the following explains reflection of light by its particle nature?

a. It acts the same way as a ball that hits a surface.
b. It acts like a sound wave that echoes when it hits a surface.
c. It is an electromagnetic wave.
d. It has the fastest speed.
8. Which of the following theories of light explain its reflection property?
a. The theory states that light acts like sound wave that echoes when it hits a surface.
b. The theory states that light reflects according to its angle and produces an upright
image.
c. The theory states that light is an electromagnetic wave.
d. The theory states that light has the fastest speed.

9. Which of the following statements is true about atomic spectra?

a. It is an energy given to the electron.
b. It is a series of colored lines with black spaces in between.
c. It is also called photons.
d. It is discrete bundle of electromagnetic energy moving at the speed of light.
10. What particles make up of light?
a. Protons b. Neutrons c. Electrons d. Photons

Lesson

1. What do you call the tendency of any material to change its state of motion?
2. What will happen to the rolling ball based on the idea of Galileo about
motion?

Figure 1. Ball rolling in a plane

Activity 1: How do I Look?

Today you will learn that light could be a wave or a particle. It has properties and speed. In
this activity, you will find out what will happen to a ray of light as it strikes a smooth surface.
Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Procedures:
1. Get a beauty kit mirror.
2. Hold the beauty kit mirror 1 foot away from you.

Guide questions:
1. What did you see on the mirror?
2. Explain your observation.

In the activity that you had performed, you observed that light is a wave and when it struck a
surface it bounced back. In this lesson, you will learn about the nature of light and its
properties specifically reflection and refraction properties.

1.1 Theories about the Nature of Light

There were two prominent theories about the nature of light back in the seventeenth
century. These are the wave theory and the particle theory.

The Wave Theory of Light

In 1690, Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer and physicist, proposed the wave
theory of light. This theory states that light is a longitudinal wave transmitted through
an aether ‒ a mystical substance that exists and fills all the spaces in the universe. He
believed that the aether moved in the same direction as light, and formed a wave which
carried the light waves
The Corpuscular Theory of Light
 In 1675, Isaac Newton proposed the corpuscular theory, also known as the particle
theory of light. This theory states that light was composed of tiny particles called
corpuscles. According to Newton, light traveled through a vacuum in a straight line, and
cannot be considered as a wave.

1.2 Properties of Light

Reflection

Reflection occurs when light bounces back as it hits a reflecting surface, such as a
mirror. This phenomenon can be described using light rays. The ray of light that hits the
reflecting surface is called an incident ray. After hitting the surface, it bounces off as a
reflected ray. The incident ray and the reflected ray form angles with the normal line, which is
a line perpendicular to the reflecting surface. These angles are called angle of incidence and
angle of reflection, respectively. The relationship between the angle of incidence and the
angle of reflection is illustrated in the law of reflection. This law states that the angle of
incidence, the angle of reflection, and the normal line are found on the same plane; and the
angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

Figure 2. Reflection of Light

Types of Reflection

There are two types of reflection: regular reflection and irregular reflection.
 Regular reflection, also known as specular reflection occurs when light
strikes a smooth surface like a mirror, and light rays are reflected in one
direction.
 Irregular reflection or diffuse reflection occurs when light strikes a rough
surface, and light rays are reflected in random directions.

Figure 3. Types of Reflection

According to the wave theory, when light waves struck a mirror, they are reflected
according to their angles, but the wave turned back to front and produced a reversed image.
The shape of the waves depends on the distance of light from the mirror. Just like sound
waves, which echoes upon striking a surface, light waves behave the same way.
 Figure 4. Particles and Waves reflected by a Mirror.

In the particle theory, an emitted light, whether near or far, is reflected as it arrives at
the mirror surface. A huge number of particles travel side by side with each other and they
bounce at different directions upon reaching the interphase, producing a reversed image as
depicted in the figure above. Light reflects the same way as a ball hits a surface.

Refraction
Refraction is the bending of light due to the change in its speed when it obliquely
passes two different media. When light travels from a medium with a low refractive index to a
medium with a higher refractive index, it slows down and refracts closer to the normal line. On
the other hand, when light travels from a medium with a high refractive index to a medium with
a lower refractive index, it speeds up and refracts away from the normal line. The light ray that
is entering a different medium is called the incident ray while the bent ray is called the
refracted ray.

Figure 5. Refraction of Light

Refractive index or Index of Refraction describes how light propagates through a

medium. A higher refractive index means the light propagates slower, and its direction
changes more upon entering a medium. A lower refractive index means the light travels faster,
and its direction changes less upon entering a medium.

According to the wave theory, when a beam of light travels into two different refractive
indices, the beam undergoes refraction by changing its direction as it passes from the first
medium into the next medium. Some of the light waves would pass through, while the rest of
the waves travel at a slower rate in the first medium due to the high refractive index of the
second medium. Since the wave front is traveling at two different speeds, it will bend in the
second medium thus, changing the angle of propagation. Just like how the sound waves and
water waves refract, light follows the same way.
 Figure 6. Refraction of Particles and Waves.

On the other hand, the particle theory of light suggested that when the light particles
pass through a medium like water, they experience an attractive force towards the water.
When light passes from air (less dense medium) to water (denser medium), it slows down and
bends towards the normal which means away from the surface.

1.1 The Speed of Light

In 1638, Galileo Galilei conducted an experiment to measure the speed of

light by positioning two observers, each with lanterns equipped with shutters. The
time between the openings of the shutters of the two observers indicated the time
for the light to travel back and forth between lamps. Light traveled so fast that
made it impossible to measure the time interval with just using the shutters.
This led to his basic principle or relativity, which states that the same laws of
motion are applied to any system that is moving at a constant speed, regardless of
their specific speed and direction.

Ole Roemer in 1678 was the first person to measure the speed of light. He
was observing the orbit of Io, the closest of the four large moons of Jupiter. His
goal was to get an accurate value for the moon’s orbital period by the eclipses of Io
by Jupiter. The orbital value of Io is 1.769 Earth days. The moon is eclipsed by
Jupiter once every orbit. As the years past, Roemer noticed that the time interval
between eclipses became shorter as Earth moved toward Jupiter and longer when
it moved away from it.
He concluded based on the collected data that the time difference was due
to the finite speed of light. The light coming from Jupiter had to travel farther to
reach Earth when they are on the opposite sides of the sun than when they are
close to each other. He estimated that the time required for light to travel across
Earth’s diameter is twenty minutes. Thus, the speed of light can be computed by
dividing the diameter of Earth’s orbit by the time difference.
Now you have learned the nature and properties of light. You know that
when light strikes the smooth surface it bounces back. In this activity, you will apply
the concept that you have learned.

Task 3. Comparison Chart: Reflection and Refraction

Distinguish the difference between reflection and refraction based from the points of
comparison. Redraw table 1 in your paper.
able 1. Comparison Chart. Reflection and Refraction

BASIS FOR COMPARISON REFLECTION REFRACTION

Meaning

Medium

Waves

Angle of incidence
Rubrics:
25pts - Information is complete with all necessary work shown and legible
15pts - Information is 75% complete with all necessary work shown and legible
10pts - Information is 50% - 75% complete with all necessary work shown and legible
5pts - Information is 25% -50% complete with all necessary work shown and legible
2pts - All necessary work is not shown or not legible work is missing (has not been turned in)

Assessment

Assessment 1. Explain Me!

Direction: Analyze the situation given. Choose and explain the best answer. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper. (written works)
Rubrics: 10 pts – If the answer was explained very well and showed correct usage of grammar.
5 pts – If the answer was explained well but some error in grammar.
0 pt – If the answer was not correct and not related to the question

1. Differentiate the theories about reflection and refraction.

Congratulations! You have completed this module on Physical Science! – Sir Christian