Ray Diagrams

Ms. Imelda M. Bartolay

Science 10 Teacher
 Topics
• Ray Diagrams
• Types Mirrors
a.Plane mirror
b.Curved mirror
i. Concave mirror
ii. Convex mirror
A ray of light is an extremely narrow
beam of light.
All visible objects emit or reflect
light rays in all directions.
Our eyes detect light rays.
We see images when
light rays
converge in our eyes.

converge: come together

Mirrors reflect light rays.
 Mirrors

It is possible to see
images in mirrors.

image

object
 Reflection
(bouncing light)
Reflection is when light normal
changes direction by
bouncing off a surface.

When light is reflected off

a mirror, it hits the mirror
at the same angle (the reflected incident
incidence angle, θi) as it ray ray
reflects off the mirror (the
reflection angle, θr). θr θi
The normal is an
imaginary line which lies
at right angles to the
mirror where the ray hits it. Mirror
Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

How do we see images in

mirrors?
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image

How do we see images in

mirrors?

Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image in the eye.
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image

How do we see images in

mirrors?

Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image in the eye.
The eye perceives light rays as if they came through the mirror.
Imaginary light rays extended behind mirrors are called sight lines.
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image

How do we see images in

mirrors?

Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image in the eye.
The eye perceives light rays as if they came through the mirror.
Imaginary light rays extended behind mirrors are called sight lines.
The image is virtual since it is formed by imaginary sight lines, not real light rays.
Spherical Mirrors
(concave & convex)
 Concave & Convex
(just a part of a sphere)

r
• •
C F
f

C: the center point of the sphere

r: radius of curvature (just the radius of the sphere)
F: the focal point of the mirror (halfway between C and the mirror)
f: the focal distance, f = r/2
 Concave Mirrors
(caved in)

•
F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis reflect through the focal point.
Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
A real image forms where the light rays converge.
Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The image forms where the rays converge. But they don’t seem to converge.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
A virtual image forms where the sight rays converge.
 Your Turn
(Concave Mirror)

•
object F
optical axis

concave mirror

• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line to represent the mirror
• Locate the image of the arrow
 Your Turn
(Concave Mirror)

•
object F
optical axis

concave mirror

• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line to represent the mirror
• Locate the image of the arrow
 PT Concave mirror and ray diagram
Materials: one whole sheet of paper, pencil, ruler, color pens

Procedure:
1.Draw ray diagram to answer the given table.
2.Consider f = 2 cm and so = 1 cm.
3. Conclusion: what happens to the image formed as the object
moves closer to the concave mirror?

Distance of Distance of size of the Orientation Kind of

the Object the image image of the image image
(cm) (cm) (cm) (inverted or (real or
upright) virtual)
1
2
3
4
5
 Convex Mirrors
(curved out)

•
F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis reflect from the focal point.

The focal point is considered virtual since sight lines, not light rays, go through it.
Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
A virtual image forms where the sight lines converge.
 Your Turn
(Convex Mirror)

•
object F
optical axis

convex mirror

• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line to represent the mirror
• Locate the image of the arrow
 Your Turn
(Convex Mirror)

•
object image F
optical axis

convex mirror

• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line to represent the mirror
• Locate the image of the arrow
 PTConvex mirror and ray diagram
Materials: whole sheet of paper, pencil, ruler, color pens

Procedure:
1.Draw ray diagram to answer the given table.
2.Consider f = 2 cm and so = 2 cm.
3. Conclusion: what happens to the image formed as the
object moves closer to the convex mirror?
Distance of Distance of Height of the Orientationio Kind of
the Object the image image n of the image
(cm) (cm) (cm) image (real or
(inverted or virtual)
upright)
5
4
3
2
1
 PT Convex mirror and ray diagram
Materials: whole sheet of paper,, pencil, ruler, color pens

Procedure:
1.Draw ray diagram to answer the given table.
2.Consider f = 2 cm and so = 2 cm.
3. Conclusion: what happens to the image formed as the object
moves closer to the convex mirror?
Distance of Distance of height of the Orientation Kind of
the Object the image image of the image image
(cm) (cm) (cm) (inverted or (real or
upright) virtual)
5
4
3
2
1
 Thanks/Further Info
• Faulkes Telescope Project: Light & Optics by Sarah Roberts
• Fundamentals of Optics: An Introduction for Beginners by Jenny
Reinhard
• PHET Geometric Optics (Flash Simulator)
• Thin Lens & Mirror (Java Simulator) by Fu-Kwun Hwang