Light Notes

In Physics, light is (electromagnetic) radiation that our eyes detect. In simple words, it is

something that allows us to see.

Reflection:

 Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror? Well, that is what reflection is.
 Reflection is the “bouncing back” of light from a smooth polished surface. In other
words, it is the rebounding of light.
 Below are some definitions that you should know when understanding reflection:

1. Incident ray: It is a ray of light that strikes at a surface.

2. Normal: It is an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the surface reflecting
the light.
3. Angle of Incidence: The angle that is formed between the incident ray and
the normal.
4. Reflected Ray: The ray of light that bounces off the reflecting surface.
5. Angle of reflection: The angle between the normal and the reflected ray.

The characteristics of a plane mirror image. So, let me tell you about this.

Characteristics of a Plane Mirror Image:

An image formed by a plane mirror has the following characteristics:

1. It is virtual (that cannot be captured on a screen)

2. It is erect (upright)
3. The size of the image is equal to the size of the object
4. It is laterally inverted (an image whose right-hand side is the left-hand side
of the object and vice versa
Here is the step-by-step process to draw a ray diagram:

A ray diagram is the representation of the paths light can take to travel. We use ray diagrams
to locate the position of the object from an image.

1. First of all, draw an incoming ray from the object (towards the mirror).

2. Now, draw the normal (perpendicular line) and mark the angle of incidence.

3. Since the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, draw the
reflected ray.

4. Now, do the same thing again (draw another ray).

5. Finally, trace back the lines and the point where they intersect (meet) will give
you the image.

There are two main types of reflection: Regular and diffused.

The regular reflection is clear and sharp such as from a plane mirror. This is because the
reflecting surface (such as a mirror) is uniform.

In diffused reflection, the angle of reflection is completely random. This is because of the
rough surfaces. In simple words, the rays are scattered in different directions rather than just
one angle.
Image on a plane mirror

Method

1. Set up a ray box, slit and lens so that a narrow ray of light is produced.
2. Place a ruler near the middle of a piece of plain paper. Draw a straight line
parallel to its longer sides. Use a protractor to draw a second line at right angles
to this line. Label this line with an ‘N’ for ‘normal’.
3. Place a plane mirror against the first line.
4. Use the ray box to shine a ray of light at the point where the normal meets the
mirror. This is the incident ray.
5. The angle between the normal and the incident ray is called the angle of
incidence. Move the ray box or paper to change the angle of incidence. The aim is
to see a clear ray reflected from the surface of the mirror.
6. Using a pencil on the paper, mark the path of:
o the incident ray with a cross
o the reflected ray with a cross
7. Remove the mirror. Join the crosses to show the paths of the light rays.
8. Measure the angle of incidence and angle of reflection for the mirror.

Repeat steps 2 - 8 for several different angles of incidence.

  Light from the object hits the mirror, reflecting from it (i=r)
 To an observer, the reflected ray appears to have come from the right-hand side of the
mirror
 The reflected ray can be traced back in this directions, forming a virtual ray

 This can be repeated for another ray travelling in a slightly different direction
 An image of the object will appear where these two virtual rays cross
 The type of image formed in the mirror is called a virtual image
 A virtual image is formed by the divergence of rays from the image, and cannot be
projected onto a piece of paper (because the rays don’t actually go through the image)

Here is the step-by-step process to draw a ray diagram:

Initially, we have an object in front of a plane mirror.

First, we draw an image of the object on the other side of the mirror

Distance A is equal to distance B and the image size is the same size as the object size.
Second, we draw light rays from the image to the eye

The image is virtual. Broken lines from the image to mirror indicate virtual rays. Virtual image:
Light rays do not actually meet at the image position. Because of that, a virtual image cannot be
projected on a screen.

Continuous lines from the mirror to eye indicate the reflected rays.

Third, we join the light rays from the mirror to the object

Lines joining the object to the positions of the reflected rays on the mirror represent the incident
rays.
Refraction:

In simple words, refraction is the bending of light (it can also be sound and water) as it
travels from one substance to the other. Actually, it is the change in speed that causes this
bending.

Terms used in refraction:

1. Refracted ray is the bent ray as a result of passing from one optical
medium to another.
2. Normal is an imaginary line perpendicular to the interface of media where
the refraction occur.
3. Angle of incidence is the angle between incident ray and the normal.
4. Angle of refraction is the angle between refracted ray and the normal.

Laws of Refraction
 1  law: The incident ray, refracted ray and normal all lie in the same plane
st

 2  Law: The ratio (sin i)/(sin r) is a constant (Snell’s Law)

nd

Snell’s Law:

In simple words, snell’s law is a formula to describe the relationship between the angle of
incidence and refraction (when the light rays are travelling from one medium to the other).

The equation below shows what this law says:

Sin i / Sin r = constant

In summary, light travelling from:

 denser medium to less dense medium – Bend away from normal
 less dense medium to denser medium – Bend towards normal

However, if the light ray enters another medium perpendicularly to the boundary, there is no
deviation of the ray even when there is change in speed of light.
When talking about this law, it is also important to discuss what is meant by refractive
index?

The refractive index (n) is the measure of the bending of light when it moves from one
medium to the other. In simple words, it shows how much the light ray would bend.

In short, here is the formula that we will use for the calculations in future.

refractive index (n) = Sin i / Sin r

Question:

Solution: 

From the diagram, we know that the refractive index (n) is 1.5, and the angle of incidence is
57°.

So we can say that:

1.5 = Sin 57 / Sin r

Sin r = Sin 57 / 1.5

r = Sin-1 (Sin 57 / 1.5) = 33.9 = 34

Important Note: Before finding the critical angle, you need to know about the Principle
of reversibility. In simple words, if the light moves from a denser (water or glass) to a
less dense medium (air), the formula will also be reversed.

Here’s what your formula will look like:

n = Sin r / Sin i
Another definition for refractive index:
 
Refractive index (n) of a medium is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (c) to the speed
of light in that medium (v). Hence, n can be calculated using:

n=c / v

This implies that the higher the refractive index of a medium, the slower will be the speed of
light through it. This means that a medium’s optical density increases as its refractive index
increases.

Consequence of refraction of light: Apparent Depth

A pool of water looks shallower than it really is. A straight object placed in water looks bent
at the surfaces.
Critical Angle:

For a ray of light passing from an optically denser to a less dense medium, critical angle, c, is
the angle of incidence at which the angle of refraction is 90∘90∘.
 When the angle of incidence is less than the critical angle, the ray passes out
into the less dense medium.
 When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, the ray is reflected
back into the denser medium.

The equation relating critical angle, c and the refractive index, n is:

sinc=1 / n

Total Internal Reflection:

Total internal reflection refers to the complete reflection of a ray of light within an optically-
denser medium from the surrounding surfaces of optically less dense media back into the denser
medium.
 Light ray travel from an optically denser medium to a less dense medium.
 The angle of incidence must be greater than a certain angle, called the critical angle.


Question: Why does the angle of refraction become 90∘ and not more at the critical angle?
Answer: This is the limit the light ray an be refracted in air because the angle in air cannot
be larger than 90∘. When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, all the light
undergoes reflection.
Application of total internal reflection: Optical Fibres

Optical fibres are very fine, optically pure glass fibre through which light undergoes total
internal reflection to transmit data from one end to the other.
 Optical fibres usually have polished surfaces coated with a material of suitable
refractive index so that there is no loss of light through the sides of the fibre.
 They are used in bundles to transmit light to or receive light from inaccessible
places, by repeated totally internal reflections within the fibre.
 Optical fibres are increasingly being used to replace metal telecommunication
cables, the messages being encoded as digital pulses of light rather than as
fluctuating electric current. They can carry more data and are more reliable.
 Bundles of optical fibres are also used in endoscopes to inspect otherwise
inaccessible parts of machines or of the living body.

Well, they transfer data huge amounts of data with minimal loss. Plus, they are cheap and
efficient. In short, the advantages of optical fibres are:

 Cheap (cost-effective)
 Lightweight and flexible
 Less signal degradation
 Transmit large amount of data with minimal degradation