APNI KAKSHA 1

Light-Reflection & Refraction

Light
“Light is the form of energy that provides sensation of vision.”
Properties of light:
 Electromagnetic wave, so does not requires 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.
 When light falls on a surface, following may happen:
(i) Reflection
(ii) Refraction
Bouncing back of light when it strikes on a polished surface like mirror.

Important Terms

1. Incident ray
The ray of light falling on a mirror is called
incidence ray.
2. Point of incidence.
The point (0) at which the incident ray strikes the
mirror is called the point of incidence.
3. Normal
Perpendicular drawn at the point of incidence is called normal.
4. Angle of incidence
Angle made by the incident ray with the normal at the point of incidence is called the angle of
incidence.
5. Reflected ray
The ray of light returned by the mirror in the same medium is called reflected ray.
6. Angle of reflection
Angle made by the reflected ray with the normal at the point of incidence is called angle of
reflection.

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.

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 Type of Mirror
(i) Plane mirrors
(ii) Spherical mirrors.
(a) Concave (b) Convex
(i) Plane mirrors
If the reflecting surface is a plane then the mirror is plane.
Characteristics of Plane mirror
 Plane mirrors form upright image of the object.
 Size of the image in a plane mirror is the same as that of the object.
 Distance of the image from the plane mirror is the same as the
object distance.
 Plane mirrors form image with left-right side reversals of the
objects. This property of a plane mirror is known as lateral
inversion.
 Plane mirrors form virtual images.
Characteristics of Spherical mirror
Spherical mirror is a mirror that has a shape of piece cut out of
spherical shape.
(a) Concave Mirrors
It is that spherical mirror in which reflection of light takes place at
the surface curved inwards.
(b) Convex Mirrors
It is that mirror in which reflection of light takes place at the surface
curved outwards.

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 Important Terms Related To Spherical Mirrors

1. Aperture of a Spherical Mirrors

It is the diameter of that part of the sphere from where the reflection of light actually takes place.
2. Pole
It is the centre of the spherical reflecting surface of the mirror.
3. Centre of Curvature
It is the centre of the hollow sphere of which concave or convex mirror is a part.
4. Principal Axis
It is the line obtained by joining pole P and center of curvature C. This line is extended or
produced on both ends, that is P and C.
5. Radius of curvature
It is the radius of the hollow sphere of which the convex or concave mirror is a part.
6. Normal
It is the line joining any point of the spherical mirror to the centre of curvature C.
7. Principal Focus
It is a point on the principal axis of a mirror where reflected rays from the mirror actually meet or
appear to diverge.
8. Focal Length
It is the distance between the principal focus F and the pole P of the mirror.

Type of Images
(i) Real Images
A real image is formed when the rays of light after reflection
actually meet at some point.
(ii) Virtual Images
A virtual image is formed when the rays of light after reflection
do not actually meet but appear to meet at a point.

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 Difference between Real image and a Virtual Image

Real image Virtual image

1. A real image is formed when two or more 1. A virtual image is formed when two or
reflected rays actually intersect each other at a more reflected rays appear to intersect at a
point. point.
2. It is formed in front of the mirror 2. It is formed behind the mirror.

3. A real image can be obtained on a screen. 3. A virtual image cannot be obtained on a

screen. It can only be seen in the mirror.
4. A real image is upside down with respect to the 4. A virtual image is erect as per the object.
object.
Image Formation By Spherical Mirrors
Ray 1
A ray of light parallel to the principal axis of a mirror passes or appears to pass after reflection
through the focus on principle axis.

Ray 2
A ray of light falling inclined towards pole of a spherical mirror is reflected as per laws of
reflection, that is, angle of incidence i = angle of reflection r.

Ray 3
A ray of light falling on a spherical surface passing through the centre of curvature C retraces its
path after reflection from the mirror.

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Ray 4
A ray of light falling on a spherical mirror and passing through the principal focus of the mirror
becomes parallel to the principal axis on reflection from the mirror.

Image Formation By Concave Mirrors

Object at very large distance or at Infinity

Object lies beyond the centre of curvature (C)

Object lies at the centre of curvature (C)

Object lies between focus (F) and Centre of Curvature (C)

Object placed at focus (F)

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 Object placed between focus F and pole P.

Form of Image By convex Mirrors

Position of the object Position of the image Size of the image Nature of the image

At infinity At the focus F Highly diminished Real and inverted

point-sized

Beyond C Between F and C Diminished Real and inverted

At C At C Same size Real and inverted

Between C and F Beyond C Enlarged Real and inverted

At F At infinity Highly enlarged Real and inverted

Between P and F Behind the mirror Enlarged Virtual and erect

Image formation by Concave Mirrors

Concave mirrors are commonly used in torches, search–lights and vehicles headlights to get
powerful parallel beams of light.

Examples: Make up mirror, shaving mirror, Dentist mirror to see the large image of face.
 It is denoted by the Greek letter lambda (). Its SI unit is metre.

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 Form of Image By Convex Mirrors
Object at infinity

Object anywhere between infinity and pole P.

Formation of Image by Convex Mirrors

Position of the object Position of the image Size of the image Nature of the image

At infinity At the focus F, Highly diminished Virtual and erect

behind the mirror point-sized
Between infinity and Between P and F, Diminished Virtual and erect
the pole P of the behind the mirror
mirror

New Cartesian sign Conventions

Mirror Formula
Mirror formula or mirror equation gives the numerical relationship among object distance (u),
image distance () and focal (f) of the mirror as follows,
1 1 1
 
f u 

Comparison of the height of image with the height of the object is known as magnification.
height of the image
Magnification 
height of the object
I
m
O

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 Magnification

Magnification is also defined as the image distance () divided by object distance (u)

m
u
 I
m 
u O
Magnification

Q1. The magnification produced by a plane mirror is +1. What does this mean?
Sol. The positive sign means an image formed by a plane mirror is virtual and erect. Since the
magnification is 1 it means that the size of the image is equal to the size of the object.

Note
Sign of magnification indicates the following information.
Magnification Negative (–)  Image is real and inverted
Magnification Positive (+)  Image is virtual and erect

Refraction of Light
The bending of a ray light when it passes from one medium to another is
called refraction of light.

Cause of refraction of light

The basic cause of refraction of light is because of the fact that speed of
light is different in different media.
Medium Speed of light
1. Air 3 × 108 m s–1
2. Water 2.25 × 108 m s–1
3. Glass 2 × 108 m s–1

Two cases of Refraction

(i) A ray of light is going from a optically rarer medium to an optically denser medium.

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(i) A ray of light is going from an optically denser medium to a rarer medium.

Refraction in the Case of Parallel Sided Glass Slab

Refraction Index
It represents the amount or extent of bending of light when it passes from one medium to another.
There are two types of refractive index
 Relative refractive index and
 Absolute refractive index
The refractive index of medium 2 with respective medium 1 is given by the ratio of the speed of
light in medium 1 and the speed of light in medium 2 (𝑛21 ).
speed of light in medium1
n 21 
speed of light in medium 2
speed of light in medium2
n12 
speed of light in medium1
Refractive Index
If the medium 1 is vacuum or air, then the refractive index of medium 2 is considered with respect
to vacuum. This is called the absolute refractive index of the medium.
speed of light in air
nm 
speed of light in medium
Laws of Refraction of Light

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Law 1.
The incident ray. The normal at the point of incidence and the refracted ray, all lie in the same
plane.

Law 2.
For a pair of media, the ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is
constant.
sin i
= constant
sin r
Refraction Through Lens
A lens is a transparent optical medium bounded by two spherical surfaces or by one spherical and
other plane surface.

Type of Lenses
(i) Convex lens
A lens which is thicker at the middle and thinner at the edges is called a
convex lens.

(ii) Concave lens

A lens which is thinner at the meddle and thicker at edges is called a
concave lens.
Important Terms Related to Lenses

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Special Rays for Image Formation by Lens
 An incident ray, parallel to the principal axis, after refraction passes through (or appears to come
from), second focus of the lens.

 An incident ray, passing through the optical center of the lens, goes undedicated from the lens.

 An incident ray, passing through the (first) principal focus of the lens, or directed toward it,
becomes parallel to the principal axis after refraction through lens.

Images Formed By Lenses

Object lies at infinity Object lies beyond 2F.

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Object lies at 2 F. Object lies between F and 2F.

Object placed at focus. Object between F and O.

Images Formed By Lenses

Position of the object Position of the image Size of the image Nature of the image
At infinity At the focus F2 Highly diminished Real and inverted
point-sized
Beyond 2F1 Between F2 and 2F2 Diminished Real and inverted
At 2F1 At 2F2 Same size Real and inverted
Between F1 and 2F1 Beyond 2F2 Enlarged Real and inverted
At Focus F1 At infinity Infinity large or highly Real and inverted
enlarged
Between focus F1 and On the same side of Enlarged Virtual and erect
optical centre O the lens as the object

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 Images Formed By concave Lenses
A concave lens gives an erect, virtual and diminished image of an object irrespective of the
distance of the object from the lens.
Object lying at infinity

Object lying anywhere between O and infinity

Position of the Position of the image Size of the image Nature of the
object image
At infinity At the focus F1 Highly diminished Virtual and erect
point-sized
Between infinity Between focus F and Diminished Virtual and erect
and optical centre optical centre O
O of the lens

New Cartesian Sign Convention For Lenses

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 Len Formula
The relation among distance of the object (u), distance of the image () and focal length (f) of a
lens is called lens equation or lens formula, i.e.,
1 1 1
 
f  u
1. u is –ve u is –ve

2. υ is +ve υ is +ve
3. υ is –ve υ is –ve
4. f is +ve f is –ve
5. O is +ve O is +ve
6. I is –ve I is +ve

Magnification
It is defined as the ratio of highest of the image to the height of the object. It is a number, so it has
no unit.
h1
Thus, magnification of lens, M 
h0
It is also given by another formula in terms of distance  and u.

M
u
h1 
M 
h0 u

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 Power of A Lens
It is the ability of a convex lens to converge a beam of light or ability of a concave lens to diverge
a beam of light falling on it.
Numerically, power of a lens is given by the reciprocal of its focal length in metre.
1 100
i.e.P  
f (in m) f in cm
Power of a lens is measured in S.I. unit dioptre having symbol D.
“power of a lens is 1 dioptre if focal length of the lens is metre.”
1 D = 1M–1
Combination of Lenses
To adjust the power of lenses we can combine lenses. Net power P of combination of lenses is
given by the algebraic sum of their individual powers, i.e.
P = P1 + P2 + P3+...

Important NCERT Questions

Q1. Define the principal focus of a concave mirror.

Sol. Light rays that are parallel to the principal axis of a concave mirror converge at a specific point
on its principal axis after reflecting from the mirror. This point is called the principal focus of
the concave mirror.

Q2. The radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is 20 cm. What is its focal length?

Sol. Radius of curvature (R) = 20 cm

Radius of curvature of the spherical mirror = 2 × focal length (f)

R = 2f

F = R/2 = 20/2 = 10

Therefore, the focal length of the spherical mirror is 10 cm.

Q3. Name the mirror that can give an erect and enlarged image of an object.

Sol. The mirror that can give an erect and enlarged image of an object is Concave Mirror.

Q4. Why do we prefer a convex mirror as a rear-view mirror in vehicles?

Sol. Convex mirror is preferred as a rear-view mirror in cars and vehicles as it gives a wider field of
view, which helps the driver to see most of the traffic behind him. Convex mirrors always form
an erect, virtual, and diminished image of the objects placed in front of it.

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Q5. Find the focal length of a convex mirror whose radius of curvature is 32 cm.

Sol. Radius of curvature (R) = 32 cm

Radius of curvature = 2 × Focal length (f)

R = 2f

F = R/2 = 32/2 = 16

Therefore, the focal length of the given convex mirror is 16 cm.

Q6. A ray of light travelling in air enters obliquely into water. Does the light ray bends towards
the normal or away from the normal? Why?

Sol. The light ray bends towards the normal. When a light ray enters from an optically rarer medium
(which has low refractive index) to an optically denser medium (which has a high refractive
index), its speed slows down and bends towards the normal. As water is optically denser than
air, a ray of light entering from air into water will bend towards the normal.

Q7. Light enters from air to glass having refractive index 1.50. What is the speed of light in the
glass? The speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 108 ms–1.

Sol. Refractive index of a medium (nm) = Speed of light in vacuum/speed of light in the medium

Speed of light in vacuum (c) = 3 ×108 m/s

Refractive index of glass (ng) = 1.50

Speed of light in the glass (v) = Speed of light in vacuum/Refractive index of glass = c/ng

= 3 × 108/1.50 = 2 × 108 ms–1.

Q8. The refractive index of diamond is 2.42. What is the meaning of this statement?

Sol. Diamond has a refractive index of 2.42 which means that the speed of light in diamond will
reduce by a factor of 2.42 as compared to its speed in the air.

In other, words, the speed of light in diamond is 1/2.42 times the speed of light in vacuum.

Q9. Define 1 dioptre of power of lens.

Sol. Dioptre is the SI unit of power of lens is denoted by the letter D. 1 dioptre can be defined as the
power of a lens of focal length 1 metre.

Q10. One-half of a convex lens is covered with a black paper. Will this lens produce a complete
image of the object? Verify your answer experimentally. Explain your observations.

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Sol. Yes, it will produce a complete image of the object, as shown in the figure. This can be verified
experimentally by observing the image of a distant object like a tree on a screen when the lower
half of the lens is covered with a black paper. However, the intensity or brightness of the image
will reduce.

Ab Phod Do!

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