Ch-9

Light-Reflection and Refraction

 Light – Reflection and
Refraction
CHAPTER-9

Introduction
Optics
It is a branch of Physics that deals with the properties and behaviour of light,
including how it interacts with matter and how instruments that use or detect light are
constructed.

REFLECTION
The property of light, coming back into the same medium from a boundary
separating two media.
9.1 REFLECTION OF LIGHT

Laws of reflection :
(i) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
(ii) The incident ray, the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence
and the reflected ray, all lie in the same plane.
Properties of Image formed by a plane mirror

❖ It is always virtual and erect.

❖ The size of the image is equal to that
of the object.

❖ The image formed is as far behind the

mirror as the object is in front of it.
❖ The image is laterally inverted.
❖ Image distance = object distance
 Lateral inversion

Use of Plane Mirrors :

➢ Used in construction of periscope and Kaleidoscope.
➢ Used in solar Cookers.
➢ Used as looking glass
9.2 SPHERICAL MIRRORS

A spherical mirror, whose reflecting surface is

curved inwards, that is, faces towards the centre
of the sphere, is called a concave
mirror.
A spherical mirror whose reflecting surface is curved outwards, is called a
convex mirror.
The paper at first begins to burn producing smoke. Eventually it may even catch fire. Why
does it burn? The light from the Sun is converged at a point, as a sharp, bright spot by the
mirror. In fact, this spot of light is the image of the Sun on the sheet of paper. This point is
the focus of the concave mirror. The heat produced due to the concentration of sunlight
ignites the paper.

The distance of this image from the position of the mirror gives
the approximate value of focal length of the mirror.
Radius of Curvature
The radius of the sphere of which the spherical mirror is a
part.

Centre of Curvature
The centre of the sphere from which the mirror is a part.

Pole
The centre of the reflecting surface of a spherical mirror.

Principal Axis
The line joining the pole and the centre of curvature.
Normal Line
The line joining the point of incidence and the centre of curvature.
Aperture
The diameter of the reflecting surface of a spherical
mirror. In Fig.9.2, distance MN represents the aperture.
Focus or Principal focus
The point on the principal axis where rays incident parallel
to the principal axis converge to or appear diverge from after
reflection.

Focal length
The distance of the focus from the pole.

Relation between R and f

Principal focus of a spherical mirror lies midway between
the pole and centre of curvature. R = 2f
Activity 9.3
Take a concave mirror. Find out its approximate focal length in the way described above.
Note down the value of focal length. (You can also find it out by obtaining image of a
distant object on a sheet of paper.)
Mark a line on a Table with a chalk. Place the concave mirror on a stand. Place the
stand over the line such that its pole lies over the line.
Draw with a chalk two more lines parallel to the previous line such that the distance
between any two successive lines is equal to the focal length of the mirror. These lines will
now correspond to the positions of the points P, F and C, respectively. Remember – For a
spherical mirror of small aperture, the principal focus F lies mid-way between the pole P and
the centre of curvature C.

Keep a bright object, say a burning candle, at a position far beyond C. Place a paper
screen and move it in front of the mirror till you obtain a sharp bright image of the
candle flame on it.
Observe the image carefully. Note down its nature, position and relative size with
respect to the object size.
Repeat the activity by placing the candle – (a) just beyond C, (b) at C, (c) between F and C,
(d) at F, and (e) between P and F
In one of the cases, you may not get the image on the screen. Identify the position of the
object in such a case. Then, look for its virtual image in the mirror itself.
In the above Activity that the nature, position and size of the image formed by a concave
mirror depends on the position of the object in relation to points P, F and C. The image
formed is real for some positions of the object. It is found to be a virtual image for a
certain other position. The image is either magnified, reduced or has the same size,
depending on the position of the object.
9.1 Image formation by a concave mirror for
different positions of the object
9.2.2 Representation of Images Formed by Spherical Mirrors Using Ray Diagrams

(i) A ray parallel to the principal axis, after reflection, will pass through the
principal focus in case of a concave mirror or appear to diverge from the principal
focus in case of a convex mirror. This is illustrated in Fig.9.3 (a) and (b).
(ii) A ray passing through the principal focus of a concave mirror or a ray which is
directed towards the principal focus of a convex mirror, after reflection, will
emerge parallel to the principal axis. This is illustrated in Fig.9.4 (a) and (b).
(iii) A ray passing through the centre of curvature of a concave
mirror or directed in the direction of the centre of curvature of a
convex mirror, after reflection, is reflected back along the same
path. This is illustrated in Fig.9.5 (a) and (b).
(iv) A ray incident obliquely to the principal axis, towards a
point P (pole of the mirror), on the concave mirror [Fig. 9.6
(a)] or a convex mirror [Fig. 9.6 (b)], is reflected obliquely.
Image formation by Concave Mirror Figure 9.7 illustrates the
ray diagrams for the formation of image by a concave mirror
for various positions of the object.

Figure 9.7 Ray diagrams for the image formation by a

concave mirror
Uses of concave mirrors
torches, search-lights and vehicles headlights to get
powerful parallel beams of light.

Large concave mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight to

produce heat in solar furnaces.
Uses of concave mirrors
Concave mirrors are commonly used in torches, search-lights and vehicles headlights
to get powerful parallel beams of light. They are often used as shaving mirrors to see
a larger image of the face. The dentists use concave mirrors to see large images of
the teeth of patients.
Large concave mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight to produce heat in solar furnaces.
(b) Image formation by a Convex Mirror

We consider two positions of the object for studying the image formed by a convex
mirror. First is when the object is at infinity and the second position is when the object
is at a finite distance from the mirror. The ray diagrams for the formation of image by a
convex mirror for these two positions of the object are shown in Fig.9.8 (a) and (b),
respectively.
(b) Image formation by a Convex Mirror

Figure 9.8 Formation of image by a convex mirror

Figure 9.8 Formation of image by a convex mirror
We have so far studied the image formation by a plane mirror, a concave mirror and a
convex mirror. Which of these mirrors will give the full image of a large object? Let us
explore through an Activity.

We can see a full-length image of a tall building/tree in a

small convex mirror.
Uses of convex mirrors
Used as rear-view (wing) mirrors in vehicles.

Convex mirrors are preferred because they always give an erect, though
diminished, image. Also, they have a wider field of view as they are curved
outwards. Thus, convex mirrors enable the driver to view much larger area than
would be possible with a plane mirror.
Safety Convex Mirrors | Car Park Protection
 1. The principal focus of a concave mirror is a point (F) on its principal axis to
which all the light rays which are parallel and close to the axis, converge after
reflection from the concave mirror.
2.Given: radius of curvature (R) = 20 cm The focal length of the mirror
is 𝑓 = 2 𝑅 = 10 cm
The concave mirror can give erect and enlarged image when the object
is placed between pole and focus.
4.Convex mirrors give an erect, virtual, full size diminished image of distant objects.
Also, they have a wider field of view as they are curved outwards. Thus, convex
mirrors enable the driver to view a much larger area than would be possible with a
plane mirror.
 9.2.3 Sign Convention for Reflection by Spherical Mirrors
New Cartesian Sign Convention
The principal axis of the mirror is taken as the x-axis (X’X) of the
coordinate system.

1. The object is always placed to the left of the mirror. This implies
that the light from the object falls on the mirror from the left-hand
side.
2. All distances parallel to the principal axis are measured from the pole of the mirror.

3.All the distances measured to the right of the origin (along + x-axis) are taken as positive
while those measured to the left of the origin (along – x-axis) are taken as negative.

4. Distances measured perpendicular to and above the principal axis (along + y-axis) are
taken as positive.

5.Distances measured perpendicular to and below the principal axis (along –y-axis) are
taken as negative.
9.2.4 Mirror Formula and Magnification
Magnification (m)
If h is the height of the object and h’ is the height of the
image, then the magnification m produced by a
spherical mirror is given by

The magnification m is also related to the object distance (u) and

image distance (v). It can be expressed as: