Light,: Reflection, and

Mirrors
Light travels in straight
lines:

Laser
 Shadows
Shadows are places where light is “blocked”:

Rays of light
Shadows
 Out of the Darkness
-If the light source is small compared to the size of the object,
then the shadow will be SHARP

-If the light source is of comparable size to the object, then the
shadow will be “fuzzy”. The dark inner region is called the UMBRA;
the grey region is called the PENUMBRA.
How do we see
objects?
We see things because they
reflect light into our eyes:

Homework
 Luminous and non-luminous objects

A luminous object is one that produces light.

A non-luminous object is one that reflects
light.
Luminous objects Reflectors/Illuminated Objects

-The Sun -The Moon

- Lamps - Mirrors
- Lights - People
- Lasers - Objects
Which comes first, THUNDER or LIGHTNING?

Thunder and
lightning are
produced at the
same time, but we
see the lightning
first.
 Facts about Light
The speed of light, c, is constant in a vacuum.

Light can be:

•REFLECTED
•ABSORBED
•REFRACTED
Light is an electromagnetic wave in that it
has wave like properties which can be
influenced by electric and magnetic fields.
 Facts about Light
• It is a form of Electromagnetic Energy
• It is a part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
and the only part we can really see
Properties of Light summary
1) Light travels in straight lines
2)Light travels much faster than
sound
3)We see things because they reflect
light into our eyes
4)Shadows are formed when light is
blocked by an object
 Color
White light is not a single color; it is made up of
a mixture of the seven colours of the rainbow.

We can demonstrate this by

splitting white light with a prism:

This is how rainbows are

formed: sunlight is “split up”
by raindrops.
The colors of the rainbow:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Remember: Roy G. Biv !!!
Violet
 Wavelengths of Light

Red Light – nm

Green Light - nm

Blue Light - nm

 Adding colors
White light can be split up to make separatecolors.
These colors can be added together again.

The primary colors of light are red, blue and

green:
Adding blue and red Adding blue and
makes magenta green makes cyan
(purple) (light blue green)

Adding red Adding all

and green three makes
makes yellow white again
 Seeing colour
The color an object appears depends on the colors of
light it reflects.

For example, a red book only reflects red light:

White Only red light

light is reflected
 A pair of purple pants, would reflect purple light
(or red and blue, as purple is made up of red and blue):

Purple light

A white hat would reflect all seven colours:

White
light
How about black?
Reflection

• is a bouncing off light

rays when it hits a
surface.
 Know Your VOCABS first!

Incident Ray

Reflected Ray
 Know Your VOCABS first!
Incident Ray Reflected Ray

Normal Line

Angle of Angle of
Incidence Reflection
Ø Ø
 The Law of “REFLECTION”
The Law of Reflection states that- " the angle
of incidence (incoming ray) equals the angle
of reflection (outgoing ray)"

The law works for

FLAT, PLANE surfaces
only.

The angles are

measured from a
perpendicular line to the
surface called a
NORMAL.
 Reflection
Reflection from a mirror:

Normal

Incident ray Reflected ray

Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection

Mirror
 The Law of Reflection

Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

In other words, light gets reflected from a surface at

THE SAME ANGLE it hits it.

The
same !!!
 Specular vs. Diffused Reflection

Smooth, shiny surfaces

have a specular
reflection:

Rough, dull surfaces have

a diffused reflection.
Specular vs. Diffused Reflection
How many times do
you look at your
face in front of a
mirror in a day? 
 Flat/Plane Mirror

Image is VIRTUAL, UPRIGHT, UNMAGNIFIED

 Plane Mirror
Suppose we had a flat , plane mirror mounted vertically. A candle is placed 10 cm in
front of the mirror. WHERE IS THE IMAGE OF THE CANDLE LOCATED?

mir Virtual Image

ror

bject Distance, Do = 10 cm
Image Distance, Di = 10 cm

Do=Di, and the heights are equal as well

 Magnification Formula in
Plane Mirror

h’ (hi) = height of the image p (do) = the object

h (ho) = height of the
object
distance
q (di) = the image
distance
(negative di (-) since the image
appears behind the mirror.
Magnification in
Plane Mirror = 1
Multiple Images
 Mirrors
Two examples:

2) A car headlight

1) A periscope
 Pinhole Camera

A pinhole camera
is a camera
without a lens
which uses a
“very small hole”
pierced in one end
to allow light to
pass through.