LESSON 8.

GEOMETRIC
OPTICS
Light can be absorbed,
transmitted, refracted,
reflected, dispersed, or
scattered when it
encounters matter. A
combination of these
takes place in nature.
Figure 8.8. Different types of
light interactions with matter
 Two Branches:
 Geometric Optics
 Physical Optics
Geometric Optics
- models light as a ray and explores the
phenomena of reflection and refraction.
Physical Optics
- considers light as a wave.
- included in physical optics are scattering,
diffraction, polarization, dispersion,
transmission, and absorption of light.
Reflection
Reflection is the turning back of the
light to the original medium from
where it has been traveling after
hitting a surface.
The ray that strikes the
surface is the incident ray;
the ray that rebounds from
the surface is the reflected
ray. A line perpendicular to
the surface at the point of
incidence is the normal. Figure. 8-9. In the refraction of
light, the angle of incidence is
equal to the angle of reflection ().
The angle between the
incident ray and the
normal is the angle of
incidence and is
represented as . The
angle between the
reflected ray and the
normal is the angle of Figure. 8-9. In the refraction of
light, the angle of incidence is
reflection (). equal to the angle of reflection ().
 Reflection of light is governed by the
following laws:
The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the
normal lie on the same plane.
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection.
Reflection from smooth surfaces is
described as regular or specular;
reflection from rough surfaces is
diffuse. Plane or spherical mirrors
and a shiny spoon are capable of
producing regular reflections.
 A shiny spoon is a double-sided mirror,
having both a concave and a convex
surface. The front side is concave, with
the reflecting surface curving inward.
A concave mirror converges reflected light
and may produce an inverted or upright
image depending on the distance of the
object from it.
 A concave mirror
converges reflected light
and may produce an
inverted or upright
image depending on the
distance of the object gives
Figure 8-10. Each surface of a spoon
different image characteristics.
from it.

Figure 8-10. Each surface of a
spoon gives different image
characteristics.
A convex mirror diverges
reflected light and always
forms an image that is
upright and smaller than the
object. The back side of a
spoon is convex, with the
reflecting surface curving
outward.
 Refraction

Light travels at different speeds in different

media. The change in the speed of light
when it passes from one medium to
another is referred to as refraction.
 The refraction of light is
governed by the following laws.
1. The incident ray, the normal,
and the refracted ray lie in the
same plane.
2. When light speeds up in passing
from one medium to another, it is
bent away from the normal. When
light slows down, it is bent toward Fig. 8-11. In the refraction of light, the
the normal. angle of incidence () is equal to the angle
of refraction ().
3. The Snell’s law, named after the Dutch
mathematician Willebrord Snell, applies to all cases of
refraction. In symbols,

When n1 = index of refraction of medium 1

n2- = index of refraction of medium 2
1= angle of incidence

2 = angle of refraction
The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the
speed of light in a medium is called the index of
refraction or refractive index and is represented
by the lowercase letter n. In symbols,

Where c is the speed of light in vacuum and v is

the speed of light in the medium. The index of
refraction of a medium is an inverse measure of
the speed of light in that medium. The higher the
index of refraction, the lower the speed of light in
that medium.
 Sample Problem 8.2
A light ray is an incident at 25° on an air-glass
boundary. Find (a) the angle of reflection, (b)
the angle of reflection, (c) the angle between
the reflected ray and the refracted ray, and (d)
the angle of refraction if the light is incident
from glass to air. (index of refraction of air =
1.0; index of refraction of glass = 1.5)
 Given: 1 = 25° n1= 1.0 n2 = 1.5
Solution:
a. Angle of reflection = angle of incidence
= 25°
b. Rearranging Snell’s law equation and substituting
values,
 c. Angle between the reflected ray and refracted
ray
=

d. Rearranging Snell’s law equation and substituting

values,
 Practice Exercise 8.2

A certain material has an index of

refraction of 2.0. Find (a) the speed of light
in that material. If light is incident from air to
this material at 30°, find (b) the angle
between the reflected ray and the incident
ray, and (c) the angle of refraction. (d) By
how much does the incident light deviate?
 Total Internal Reflection
When light speeds up as it passes from the first
medium to the second, it is refracted away from the
normal. As the angle of incidence increases, the
angle of refraction also increases. However, there is a
particular angle of incidence where the refracted light
is along the boundary of the first and second media.
Called the critical angle (), it has a
corresponding angle of refraction of 90°. If
the angle of incidence exceeds this critical
angle, light is reflected back to the original
medium of propagation. This phenomenon
is referred to as total internal reflection.
Figure 8-12. The behavior of a refracted ray as it passes from an
optically less dense medium at different angles of incidence.
As shown in figure 8-12 (b),
when , . Using Snell’s law and substituting
values,
Total internal reflection explains how
optical fibers work. An optical fiber
consists of a transparent fiber, called the
core, inside another transparent fiber,
called the cladding. The index of
refraction of the core must be greater
than the index of refraction of the
cladding.
Inside the core, light travels along a zigzag
path because of successive internal
refractions as light approaches the core-
cladding interface. Hence, light does not
exit along the sides of the fiber although it
is transparent; instead, it exists only at the
end of the fiber.
 Fig. 8-13. The mechanism of optical
fibers
Optical fibers are now used to replace copper
wires in telecommunications because they are
lightweight, cheaper, and tap-proof. They are
also used in novelty items.
 Sample Problem 8.3
The core and cladding of an optical fibers
fiber have an index of refraction of 1.52
and 1.48, respectively. (a) What is the
critical angle of the fiber? (b) Find the
distance between two successive
reflections of light incident at 80° in this
fiber if the core diameter is 50μm.
Given:
core diameter = 50μm
Solution:
a.
b. Since the angle of incidence is greater
than the critical angle, a light would be
totally internally reflected. Referring to
the diagram,
 50μm)

, the distance between two successive

reflections is
Practice Exercise 8.3
Suppose the distance between two
successive reflections in the optical fiber
in Sample Problem 8.3 is 400 . What is
the diameter of the core of this fiber if the
light is incident at 82° at the core?