OPTICS

INTRODUCTION TO OPTICS

AIMS
To introduce the study of optics.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Know how light travels
• Understand the role of spectacle lenses in
correcting people’s vision
 LIGHT VS SOUND?

300 000 000 m/s

HOW LIGHT TRAVELS

Parallel

Convergent Divergent
 HOW LIGHT TRAVELS
Normal
Normal

Reflected Ray Incident ray

Incident ray
OPTICAL MEDIUMS
 REFRACTIVE INDEX

Air Glass
Refractive index Refractive index
=1 = 1.5

Glass Air
Refractive index Refractive index
= 1.5 =1
 REFRACTIVE INDEX (CONTINUED)

Row of people Light ray travelling Normal

marching towards from air to water
water

Land Air

Water Water
 REFRACTIVE INDEX (CONTINUED)

Normal
Row of people marching
from water to land Light ray travelling
from water to air

Water Water

Air
Land
 REFRACTIVE INDEX (CONTINUED)

Normal
Row of people marching
towards water Light ray travelling
from air to water

Land Air

Water Water
 PRISMS

Apex

Apical
Angle

Base
 PRISMS

Apex of Prism

Incident Light Ray Refracted Light Ray

Another Parallel Another Parallel

Incident Light Ray Refracted Light Ray

Base of Prism
 PRISMS

Object appears
to be here

Actual position
of object
 LENSES

• A lens is a piece of transparent material that is shaped to

refract light to focus at a point (the focal point)
• The difference between a lens and a prism is that prisms
just bend light. They do not focus light

Lens
Prism
 LENSES

Plus Lens Minus Lens

LENSES

Plus Lens Min

 LENSES

Lens Minus Lens

LENSES

Prism stronger
towards the edge

No prism power
at optical centre

Diagram A Diagram B
 THE OPTICAL CENTRE

Plus LensPlus Lens Minus Lens

 PLANO LENSES

Flat plano lens Curved plano lens

Light rays remain straight

QUESTIONS?