THEME: LIGHT

TOPIC: RFLECTION OF LIGHT BY CURVED MIRRORS.

CURVED MIRRORS
Did you know that a spoon may act as a curved mirror? Waoo, isn’t
Physics fun?. It is around every corner!!!.
Today you’ll learn about curved mirrors.
Curved mirrors are mirrors whose surfaces are obtained from a hollow
transparent sphere or pipe and silvering one of the side.
Activity 1.0
Observe a spoon from the side curving outwards and then the side
curving in words.
Draw the appearance of the spoon in each case.
Put the responses right here. (To be presented during class time)

Yes!! You have it.

(a) TYPES OF CURVED MIRRORS
There are two types of curved mirrors, namely:
i) Concave mirror; One whose centre is in front of reflecting
surface.
ie the one that resembles the part of the spoon curving inwards
ii) Convex mirror; One whose centre is behind the reflecting
surface
ie the one that resembles the part of the spoon curving outwards
Illustrations
(b) Reflection of parallel beams from curved mirrors
i) Concave mirror

ii) Convex (Diverging) mirror

(c) Terms Used

i) Aperture:
This is length of the reflecting surface
ii) Centre of curvature, C,
This is the centre of the sphere of which the mirror is a part.
iii) Radius of curvature, r,
This is the radius of the sphere.
iv) Pole, P,
This is the centre of reflecting surface.
v) Principal axis
This is the imaginary line joining the pole and the centre of
curvature produced in each case.
vi) Principal focus, F,
This is the point on the principal axis through which rays parallel
and close to the principal axis pass after reflection (for the case of
concave mirror) or from which the rays appear to come (for the
case of convex mirror).
vii) Focal length, f,
This is the distance between the principal focus and the pole of
the mirror.

b) For a convex mirror

REAL AND VIRTUAL IMAGES
A REAL IMAGE
This is the image formed by the actual intersection of light rays
from an object and can be received on the screen.
A VIRTUAL IMAGE
This is the image formed by the apparent intersection of light rays
and cannot be received on the screen
IMAGES FORMED BY;
a) A CONCAVE MIRROR
The nature of the image formed by a concave mirror is either real
or virtual depending on the object distance from the mirror as
shown below;
viii) Object between F and C
 The image is;
 Virtual
 Erect
 Magnified
In this position of the object, a concave mirror can be used as;
 Shaving mirror
 Dentist mirror
This is because a concave mirror forms upright and magnified
image
NOTE; The image of an object in a concave mirror is virtual only
when the object is nearer to the mirror than its focus.
b) CONVEX MIRROR
Convex mirrors form images with similar properties irrespective of
the position of the object.
Refer to the illustration below
The image formed is always;
 Erect (upright)
 Virtual, and
 Diminished in size no matter the position of the object
SCALE DRAWING

Examples
(Leave 6 pages for the examples)
1. An object 1cm high is placed 3cm from a concave mirror of
focal length 2cm. by construction of a scale diagram, find the;
i) position ii) nature and iii) size of the image
2. An object 3cm high is placed at right angles to principal axis a
concave mirror with focal length 7.5cm. If the object is 30cm from
the pole, construct a ray diagram to obtain the;
i) position ii) size and iii) nature of image
3. An object 4cm high is placed 2.4cm from convex mirror of focal
length 8cm. Draw a ray diagram to find the position, size,
Magnification and nature of image
4. An object of height 10cm is placed at a distance 60cm from a
convex mirror of focal length 20cm. By scale find the image
position, height, nature and magnification
5. An object of height 6cm is 10cm in front of a convex mirror of
focal length 12cm. Find by graphical method, the size, position
and nature of the image.
USES (APPLICATIONS) OF CONCAVE MIRRORS
 Used as shaving mirrors.
 Used as a dentist mirror (for teeth examination).
 Used as solar concentrators in solar cookers.
 They are used in projectors (a device for showing slides on a
screen)
 Used in reflecting telescopes, (a device for viewing distant
objects)

RESEARCH
1. Use internet and summarize the use of curved mirror as a solar
concentrator.
2. Also watch YouTube videos about each of the applications
above. You may note a few things down
To determine the focal length of a concave mirror

Theory;

1 1 1
Mirror formula; 𝑓
= +
𝑢 𝑣

Materials; 1- concave mirror in a holder, 1-torch bulb, 1-white

screen, 1-metre rule, 2-dry cells in a cell holder, Connecting wires.

Investigations to be done from the laboratory

TOPIC: REFRACTION OF LIGHT

Click the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBrjBTP_Qc
From the video;
Note a few key point about refraction of light;-meaning,
laws, refractive index, cause, effects (explain any 2)
Refraction is the change in the direction of light as it travels from one
medium to another of different optical density.
Or
The change in the speed of light as it travels from one medium to
another of different optical density.
The Laws of Refraction
Law 1
The incident ray, the normal and the refracted ray at the point of
incidence all lie in the same plane.
Law 2 (Snell’s law)
The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of
refraction is constant for a given pair of media.

Sin i
= Constant
Sin r

i) Refractive Index, n
This is the ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of
refraction for a ray of light moving from one medium to another.
sin 𝑖
𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥, 𝑛 =
sin 𝑟
Or
The ratio of speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a
medium.
Speed of light in vacuum
Refractive index, n =
Speed of light in medium

𝐶
𝑛=
𝑉
Where C-is the speed of light in vacuum
V- is the speed of light in a medium
ii) Absolute Refractive Index
The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction
for a ray of light moving from a vacuum to a medium

If a ray of light is moving from medium 1 to medium 2, then the

refractive index of medium 2 with respect 1 is given by;
sin 𝑖
1n 2 =
sin 𝑟
𝑛2 sin 𝑖
=
𝑛1 sin 𝑟
𝒏𝟏 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝒊 = 𝒏𝟐 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝒓
If the ray was moving from air to glass of refractive indices 𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑔
respectively, then;
𝒏𝒂 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝒊 = 𝒏𝒈 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝒓
SOME EFFECTS OF REFRACTION

i) A stick or straight object appears bent when partly immersed in a

liquid as shown in figure a) above
ii) A pond, a swimming pool and liquid in containers appear
shallower than their actual depths as shown in figure b) above
iii) A mark or a line made below a glass block appears to be raised
when viewed from above as shown in figure c) above.
Task;
Use your knowledge of Physics to explain the above effects
REAL AND APPARENT DEPTH

 A thick glass block appears to be only about two-thirds of its real

thickness when viewed vertically above.
 Light rays from optically denser medium pass into a less dense
medium, they are refracted away from the normal.
 The rays appear to be coming from a raised point (apparent position)
above the actual point.
Real depth
 Refractive index, n =
Apparent depth
Examples
1. A ray of light is incident in air at an angle of 30. Find the value of
angle of refraction, r, if the refractive index is 1.5.
2. A light ray passes from air into a glass prism with a refractive index
of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 300, calculate the angle of
refraction.
3. A glass slab has a refractive index of 1.6. If light enters the slab at
an angle of 450, calculate the angle of refraction.
TO DETERMINE THE REFRACTIVE INDEX, n, OF A GLASS BLOCK
Materials;
A protractor, 4 optical pins, 4 thumb pins, a white piece of paper and
a soft board
a) Fix a white piece of paper on a soft board
b) Trace the outline ABCD of the glass block on the paper.
c) Draw normal NO to meet AB at O
d) Draw a line AO making an angle of incidence i= 100 with the normal
e) Fix pins P1 and P2 along the line AO
f) Place the glass block on its outline
g) Looking through side BC, fix pins P3 and P4 to be in line with the
images of P1 and P2
h) Remove the glass block and the pins.
i) Draw a line through the points made by P3 and P4
j) Measure the angle of refraction, r.
k) Repeat the procedures (d) to (j) for values of i = 20, 300, 40 500
and 60.
l) Record the values in a suitable table including the values of Sin i
and Sin r.
m) Plot a graph of sin I against sin r
n) Determine the slope S of the graph
o) The refractive index, n = S
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

 A ray of light moving from an optically denser medium to an

optically less dense medium undergoes both refraction and weak
reflection.
 When the angle of incidence, i, is gradually increased, the angle of
refraction, r, also increases
 The weak reflected ray becomes stronger and stronger.
 A point is reached for which the angle of incidence is such that the
angle of refraction is 90o
 The angle of incidence for which the angle of refraction is 90 o is
called critical angle, C
 When the angle of incidence, in a dense medium exceeds the critical
angle (i  C), the light ray is totally reflected back into the medium.
 Hence total internal reflection.
Critical Angle, C is the angle of incidence in a denser medium for
which the angle of refraction in a less dense optical medium is 90o.
The Relationship between c and n
Consider the diagram below.

From n sin i = Constant

n1 sin 90o = n2 sin C
n1
sin C =
n2
But n1 = 1
1
 sin C =
n2
Where: C = Critical angle of glass for a glass-air boundary
n = the refractive index of the medium in which c is found.
Examples
1. The refractive index of glass is 1.5. Find the critical angle.
2. The refractive index of glass is 1.50 while that of water is 1.33. Find
the critical angle for a ray of light incident from glass to water.
3. A beam of light travels from water (refractive index 1.33) into air. If
the angle of incidence is 500, will the light be refracted or totally
internally reflected?
4. a) Draw a ray diagram for a yellow light traveling from glass to air at
an angle of 35.
b) Find: i)The angle of refraction.
ii)The critical angle of the glass.
iii)The angle of deviation. (ng = 1.55)
EFFECTS OF TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
a) Mirage
Explanation

 Air layers near the ground are warm and less dense
 The air layers high above are cool and more dense
 Light rays from cool optically dense air layers are successively
refracted away from the normal
 A point is reached when the ray is totally internally reflected.
 To an observer, an impression of a pool of water is seen hence a mirage
b) The fish’s eye view

The fish has a full view of everything above or in water at whatever

depth, provided that the water surface is calm.
It enjoys a 180 field of view apparently all squeezed into a cone of
angle about 98(i.e. twice the critical angle for water).
Outside this range the fish sees objects in water and on the bottom
which are mirrored in the surface of the water by total internal
reflection.
Explain the above.
(Write the responses in your summary book for you will be required to
present during lesson’s time.)
APPLICATIONS OF TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
a) Optical fibre
Leave 1 page.
b) Reflecting prisms
The critical angle of glass-air boundary is about 42.
Thus, whenever light which is traveling in glass is incident on such a
boundary at an angle greater than 42, it undergoes total internal
reflection leading to formation of upright or inverted image as shown
in figure below.

(iii) Formation of upright/erect image by two prisms.

Note: Totally reflecting prisms find applications in optical instruments

such as binoculars and periscopes used in submarines and opera
theaters.
Advantages of glass prisms over plane mirrors
i) All the incident light is reflected when total internal reflection
occurs in glass prism whereas mirrors absorb some of the incident
light.
ii) The finite thickness of glass in front of the reflecting surface
produces ghost, blurred, image.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COLOURS
Primary Colours
• Primary colors are colors which cannot be made by adding (or
mixing) any other colors of light together.
• These are: Red, Green and Blue.
Secondary Colours
• Secondary colors are colors of light that are made or obtained by
adding two primary colors together.

• These are: Yellow (Y), Magenta (M) and Cyan (C), (sometimes called
peacock blue).
Complementary colours
These are two colours which form white when mixed.
Examples include;
Magenta and Green,
Cyan and Red
Yellow and Blue
APPEARANCE OF OBJECTS IN COLORED LIGHT
The color of an object in light
• An object appears;
i) Coloured
Because of the colour it reflects, its colour.
The object absorbs other colours and reflects its colour.
ii) Black
If it absorbs all the other colours of light and reflects none.
iii) White
If it reflects all the colours of white light.
• The apparent color of an object is the sum of the colours it is reflecting.
Task.
Basing on example from the video/ illustration above, help a friend
understand the appearance of a;
a) Green dress in ;
i) Green light
ii) Blue light
iii) Cyan light
iv) Yellow light
b) Green cloth with white spots in;
i) Red light
ii) Blue light
iii) White light
iv) Magenta light
DISPERSION OF WHITE LIGHT
Dispersion is the splitting of white light into its constituent colors.

White light is a mixture of seven colours.

The prism has different refractive indices for the different colours.
The prism separates the colours by deviating red least and the violet
light most, and other colours are deviated to varying intermediate
extents.
The Colors of the Spectrum of White Light
The colors of the spectrum of white light are those seen in a rainbow.
They are usually named in order from top to bottom as: Red, Orange,
Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
The colors overlap.

Because of the overlapping of the colors, we describe the spectrum of

white light as continuous.
Which means that there is a complete range of colours from the red end
to the violet end of the spectrum. This makes the spectrum impure.
However, a pure spectrum can be produced in the laboratory.

Pure Spectrum
A pure spectrum is one in which the colors in it do not overlap. That is
to say one color only forms each part of the image on a screen.
To produce a pure spectrum
Materials; A source of white light, a slit, two converging lenses, a glass
prism and a screen.
What to do;

Place the source of light at the focal length of the first lens, L1.
Arrange the rest of the apparatus as shown in the figure
This produces parallel emergent beam of white light which is incident
on the first refracting surface of the glass prism.
The second converging lens, L2, reverses the effect of the first lens so
that the parallel beam of each separate color is focused at different
points on the screen thus forming a pure spectrum.
FORMATION OF RAIN BOW
Leave 1 page
TOPIC: LENSES AND OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS
Lens
A lens is a glass or any transparent substance so shaped that it
refracts light from any object and forms a real or virtual image of the
object.
a) Types of lenses
They all belong to two main groups namely; Converging (Convex) lens
and diverging (Concave) lens
i) Converging (Convex) lens
A converging (convex) lens curves outward. It has a thick center and
thinner edges.
The different types of converging lenses are bi-convex, plano-convex
and converging meniscus.
The diagrams showing the different types/shapes of converging lens.

ii) Diverging lens

Diverging, or concave, lens is curved inward, with a thin center and
thicker edges.
The different types of diverging lenses are bi-concave, plano-concave
and diverging meniscus.
NB: A meniscus lens has both a concave and convex surface and so, to
avoid confusion, we shall refer to lenses by their converging and
diverging property rather than their shape.
Refraction through;
a) A convex lens
A parallel beam of light, parallel and close to the principal axis of a
converging lens is converged or brought to focus at the principal focus
or focal point. See figure 14.51 below.

F = Principal focus (real)

f = focal length (real)
b) Concave lens
A parallel beam of light, parallel and close to the principal axis of a
diverging lens is diverged and appear to be coming from the principal
focus or focal point as shown in figure 14.52 below.

F = Principal focus (virtual)

f = focal length (virtual)
Terms used;
i) The pole, P, is the centre of the surface of the lens.
ii) The principle axis of a lens is the imaginary line joining the
centers of curvature of its surfaces.
iii) The optical centre, C, is the point on the principal axis midway
between the lens surfaces.
iv) The principal focus, or focal point, F of a converging lens is
the point on the principal axis to which rays parallel to the axis
converge after refraction. The principal focus of a converging lens is
real.
v) The principal focus, or focal point, F of a diverging lens is
the point on the principal axis from which all rays incident parallel
appear to diverge after refraction. The principal focus of diverging lens
is virtual.
vi) The focal length, f, of a lens is the distance between the
principal focus and the optical center of the lens.
vii) The focal plane is the plane through the principal focus F
perpendicular to the principal axis.
viii) The aperture is the width of the lens from one edge to the other.
Rules for construction of ray diagrams for;
1. Convex lens

Images formed by Converging lenses

Ray diagram Nature of image I
(a) Object O between F and C i) Virtual
ii) Erect
iii) Magnified
 iv) On same side of
lens as O and further
away

This arrangement is applied in:

(i) Magnifying glasses
(ii) Microscope eye piece.
(iii) Spectacles correction for long sightedness.
(b) Object O at F At infinity

Produces parallel beam of light as in a spot light with lamp at O.

(c) Object O between F and 2F (i) Real
(ii) Inverted
(iii) Magnified
(iv) On opposite
side of lens to O, beyond
2F.
Applied in: (i) Projector (ii) Microscope objective lens
(d) Object O at 2F (i) Real
(ii) Inverted
(iii) Same size as O
(iv) On opposite
side of lens, between F
and 2F
(e) Object O beyond 2F
(i) Real
(ii) Inverted
(iii) Diminished
(iv) On opposite
side of the lens to O,
beyond 2F.
Applied in: (i) Camera (ii) The eye
(f) Object O at infinity (i) Real
(ii) Inverted
(iii) Diminished
On opposite side of lens
at F.
Applied as objective lens in a telescope

2. Diverging lens
There are two principal rays of a diverging lens; they are:

Image formed by Diverging lens

The ray diagram for a diverging lens is the same for all object
positions.
Ray diagram Nature of image I
Image I is:
(i) Virtual
(ii) Erect
(iii) Diminished
(iv) Between F and C
(v) On same side of lens as
O, but nearer

Applied in: i) eye piece in some instruments

ii) in spectacles to correct short-sightedness
SCALE DRAWING OF RAY DIAGRAMS
The ray diagrams can be drawn to scale using squared paper. This
provides an accurate method of finding the position, size and nature of
the image formed by a lens and may be used to answer lens questions.
The following points should be noted:
i) The lens is represented by a line at right angles to its principal axis.
ii) The scale chosen for the distances from the lens does not
necessarily need to be the same as for the object and image heights,
if so, both scales should be stated on the diagram.
iii) Choose a scale which is simple and convenient to use and that
makes the diagram fill most of the sheet of squared paper.
Examples
1. A bottle 1cm high placed 3cm from a convex lens of focal length
2cm.Use a graph paper to find the;
i) Position of image
ii) Size of image
iii) Magnification
iv) Nature of the image
2 An object 6 cm high is placed 20 cm from a converging lens of
focal length 8 cm. Find by scale drawing the position, size and
nature of the image.
3. An object 6 cm high is placed 20 cm from a concave lens of focal
length 8 cm. Find by scale drawing the position, size and nature of
the image.
4. An object 2 cm high is placed 5 cm from a converging lens of focal
length 20 cm. Find by scale drawing the position, size and
nature of the image.
5. An object 2 cm high is placed 5 cm from a concave lens of focal
length 20 cm. Find by scale drawing the position, size and
nature of the image
Leave 6 Pages for responses.
THE POWER OF A LENS
The power,P, of a lens is defined as the reciprocal of the focal length
expressed in metre.
The unit of power of a lens is dioptre (D).
A diopter (D) is the power of a lens of focal length one metre.
The power of a lens is calculated from the formula:
1
Power =
focal length in metres

1
Or P =
f

NB: The power of converging lens is positive while for a diverging lens
is negative.
Examples
1. A converging lens has a focal lens 15 cm. Calculate the power of
the lens.
2. Find the power of;
a) a converging lens of focal length 20 cm.
b) a diverging lens of focal length 10 cm.

To determine the approximate focal length of a converging lens

Materials; 1-White screen, connecting wires, 1-metre rule, 1-
converging lens in a holder.

Set up

(Leave 5 lines)
a) Focusing a distant object on to a screen.
b) Move the lens to and fro until a sharp image is formed on a screen.
c) The distance from the lens to the screen gives focal length, f.
d) Repeat the procedures for two more values of f
(𝑓1 +𝑓2 +𝑓2 )
e) Obtain the average value of the focal length, 𝑓 =
3
To determine the focal length of a converging lens using an
illuminated object
Apparatus
1-White screen, 1-torch bulb, 2-dry cells in a holder, connecting wires,
1-metre rule, 1-converging lens in a holder.
Theory of experiment
1 1 1
= +
𝑓 𝑣 𝑢
Investigation to be done practically in the science lab

OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS
Lenses are of great use in everyday life.

✍ Task

Identify the optical instruments that that use lenses as shown in the
figures above.

a) The Human Eye

Research work 2.0
a) Draw a labeled diagram of a human eye.
b) State the functions of each part
Note;
Near point and far point
The closest point at which the eye can focus (comfortably) is called its
near point; the most distant point is called the far point. For a normal
eye these are 25 cm and infinity, respectively.
Eye Defects and Corrections
b) The lens camera
Research Work 2.0
Watch a YouTube video or read a physics text book and;
a) Draw a labeled diagram of a human eye.
State the functions of each part
b) Make a write up that will help your friends understand eye
defects and how they are corrected.
c) Help a friend understand the;
i) Differences between lens camera and human eye
ii) Similarities between lens camera and human eye

c) The Projector
Research Work 3.0
Draw a labeled diagram of a projector.
State the functions of each part

END.