Reflection of light

•the angle of incidence, i, is the angle between the normal and incident
ray;
•the angle of reflection, r, is the angle between the normal and reflected When light is reflected by a plane mirror:
ray. the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection.
This is known as the law of reflection.

Specular reflection Diffuse reflection

Reflection from a smooth, flat surface is called specular reflection. If a surface is rough, diffuse reflection happens.
Refraction of light

The normal is a construction line drawn at right angles to the surface of the

glass block.
Angle of incidence i = angle between the incident ray and the normal.
Angle of refraction r = angle between the refracted ray and the normal.

Angles of incidence and refraction are always measured between the

normal and the corresponding ray of light.

Direction of refraction

Glass is denser than air, so when light passes from air into glass it slows
down and it bends towards the normal.

Light speeds up as it passes from glass into air because air is less dense than
glass and it bends away from the normal.
The refractive index  n of a medium is derived from the optical
density of that medium.

The optical density defines how much the light's speed changes,
and that in turn defines how much it is refracted.

The refractive index is calculated using Snells' Law, which says

that:

n1sinα1 = n2sinα2
 Total internal reflection
When a light ray reaches the boundary between two transparent materials it may be refracted. If it is leaving
the more dense medium, this refraction would be expected to bend the ray away from the normal as it
emerges.

The angle of refraction is greater than the angle of incidence.

When the angle of refraction is exactly 90°, then the angle
of incidence is called the critical angle

When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical

angle the ray is reflected – we call this total internal
reflection.
Uses of total internal reflection (TIR)

Total internal reflection allows light to be contained and guided along very thin fibres. Usually made of glass, these
are called optical fibres and they have many uses:

•fibre broadband internet sends computer information coded as pulses of light along underground optical fibres

•doctors can look at the inside of their patients using an endoscope - a long tube which guides light into the patient
and then guides the reflected light back out to give an image

•decorations, like some artificial Christmas trees, carry coloured light to different parts of the decoration and let it
shine out in different directions