Electromagnetic

waves and
geometrical optics
1.Electromagnetic waves
Let’s start with the first set of slides
 Electromagnetic waves
There are two types of waves: Transverse wave and longitudinal waves. In
transverse wave, the vibrations are at right angle to the direction of movement.
Mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves are two important ways that energy
is transported in the world around us.
Electromagnetic waves are created as a result of vibrations between an electric
field and a magnetic field. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating
magnetic and electric fields.
Mechanical waves travel through some medium (material) with time. They have
frequency, period, wavelength and amplitude. Mechanical wave transport energy
and not material.
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In the 1860's and 1870's, a Scottish scientist named James Clerk Maxwell
developed a scientific theory to explain electromagnetic waves. He noticed that
electrical fields and magnetic fields can couple together to form electromagnetic
waves. He summarized this relationship between electricity and magnetism into
what are now referred to as "Maxwell's Equations."

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Amplitude: - is the distance that the wave moves above or below the baseline.

Frequency of the wave is the number of the complete wave passing a given point
in a second.

Wavelength: - is the distance between successive equivalence point (usually taken

as peak or trough).

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The frequency, wavelength and speed of waves are related as:-

· Speed= frequency x wavelength

· V=fλ

Speed: m/s

Frequency: hertz

Wavelength: meter

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The sun emit electromagnetic wave with a wide range of frequency and
wavelength. This referred to as electromagnetic spectrum.

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2. Reflection of light
Let’s start with the second set of slides
 Reflection of light
Have you ever thought about why we can see our image in a plane mirror? It’s
because of the phenomenon known as reflection. Light waves, sound waves, and
water waves can undergo reflection.

Rectilinear propagation of light simply means that light waves travel on a straight
line.

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The laws of reflection
· Angle of reflection is equal to · The reflected ray lies in the
angle of incidence plane which contains the
incident ray and the normal.
The angle of incidence is the
angle between this normal and
the incident ray, the angle of
reflection is the angle between
this normal and the reflected ray

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Light travels in vacuum without material medium:
Image is formed by : 1) Plane Mirror
2) Curved Mirror
Characteristics Of plane mirror include:
●Laterally inverted image
●Erect or upright image
●Image has same size as the object
●SO= Si
●Virtual Image is formed

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Curved mirror is classified into 2
Concave mirror is a mirror with a Convex mirror reflect the light as
reflecting surface that bulges it spread out, it cannot form a
inward, away from the light real image, it forms virtual which
source. Using the law of means short away behind it.
reflection the image formed by
the plane mirror is erect, virtual,
laterally inverted and the same
size as the object.

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Concave mirror 13
Convex mirror 14
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Principal axis: - is the line passing through the optical vertex and center of
curvature of the face of curved mirror.

Principal focus: - is the point at which all light reflecting from a curved mirror
converges.

Radius of curvature:-is the radius of the sphere that forms the basic curve of a
concave mirror.

The focal length:- of a lens is determined when the lens is focused at infinity.

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 The mirror equation
If you know the focal length of converging (concave) mirror it is possible to do
calculation.

· f= focal length of the mirror.

· Distance object =distance image.

· If the image is virtual, then we can use a negative sign for distance image

· S0 = distance from object to the center of mirror

· Si = distance from the center of mirror to object formed.

1/so + 1/si = 1/f 17

3. Refraction of light
Let’s start with the third set of slides
 Refraction of light
The change in direction of travel of a light beam that occurs when it passes the
border between two transparent mediums is referred to as refraction.

Light traveling in the other direction would follow the same path: when it emerges, it
is refracted away from the normal.

The only time light is not refracted when it crosses the boundary is when it strikes
the surface 'square on' right along the normal, resulting in an angle of incidence of
0 degrees, not 90 degrees.

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 Consequences of refraction of light
· light bending

· change in wavelength

· rays splitting

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 Snell's law
According to Snell's law, anytime light crosses a border between two media, the
sines of the angles on either side of the boundary have a constant ratio to each
other.

· For a particular boundary: sinθ1/sinθ2

· If the boundary is near a vacuum: n= sinθ1/sinθ2

· to calculate the path light will take as it crosses boundary (Snell’s law):
sinθ1/sinθ2=n2/n1

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 Light refracts when a wave reaches a barrier, its speed changes, causing it to
bend. The refractive index may be defined and measured by the ratio of the sines
of the angles since it is also the ratio of the speeds on each side of the boundary.
if the speed of light in a vacuum is indicated by c and its speed in a medium is
written by v, the refractive index n of the medium is given by:

· n=c/v

Lateral displacement is the perpendicular distance between the path of the

incoming light beam and the one that emerges after refraction from two surfaces of
a medium

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Apparent depth is calculated by:

· real depth/ apparent depth= n

Total internal reflection occurs when

● Light traveling in a medium encounters a surface with a medium in which it

may move faster.
● It hits the inside of this surface at an angle of incidence larger than the
critical angle.

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A convex lens is one that has at least one curved surface, similar to the outer
surface of a sphere.

· The power of a lens: 1/its focal length in meters

The thin lens formula:

· 1/so+1/si=1/f

· Magnification= si/so

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 How image is formed due to thin lens
A simple microscope is a magnifying glass that has a double convex lens with a
short focal length. When an object is kept near the lens, then its principal focus with
an image is produced, which is erect and bigger than the original object. The image
formed is virtual and cannot be projected on a screen like a real image.
A telescope is an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a
combination of both to observe distant objects, or various devices used to observe
distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic
radiation.
A camera is an optical instrument that captures a visual image.

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Human eye: the retina is made up of light sensitive cells that line the inner surface
of the eye. The optic nerve is a nerve that transmits visual information from the
retina to the brain.

Diffraction of light is a wave's direction changing at the edge of an impediment in its

path. Diffraction is greatest when the wavelength of the waves is long compared to
the size of the gap or obstacle.

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Thanks!
Done by:
● Heldana Gizachew
● Abigail Wondowessen

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