Light: Reflection
9 and Refraction
Introduction
When light falls on a body, it may be absorbed, transmitted, or reflected back to the same medium.
Reflection of light is the phenomenon of bouncing back off the light rays in the same medium.
9.1 Laws of Reflection:
(i) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal, all lie on the same plane at the point of
incidence.
(ii) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. i.e ? i = ? r
Real image: It is obtained when the rays of light after reflection or refraction actually meet at
some point. It can be obtained on the screen and can be seen with the eye.
Virtual image: It forms when rays of light do not actually meet, but appear to meet when produced
backwards. It cannot be obtained on the screen.
9.2 Image Formed by Plane Mirror:
Characteristics of Image:
(i) Virtual and erect
(ii) Size of image is equal to the size of the object.
(iii) Image is formed as far as behind the mirror as
the object is in front of it.
(iv) Laterally inverted.
9.3 Spherical Mirrors:
A spherical mirror, whose reflecting
surface is curved inwards, is called
a concave mirror.
A spherical mirror whose reflecting
surface is curved outwards, is
called a convex mirror.
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Key Characteristics of Spherical Mirrors:
Principal Focus (F): The point where parallel rays of light either meet (concave) or appear to
diverge from (convex) after reflection.
Center of Curvature (C): The center of the sphere of which the mirror is a part.
Aperture: The diameter of the reflecting surface of a spherical mirror.
Pole (P): The mid-point of the aperture.
Radius of Curvature (R): The distance from the pole of the mirror to the curvature's center.
Focal length (f): The distance between the pole and principal focus of a spherical mirror.
9.4 Image formation by a concave mirror for different positions of the object:
Image formation by a convex mirror for different positions of the object:
9.5 Rules for making ray diagrams by convex and concave lens:
(i) A ray of light from the object parallel to the principal axis passes through the focus after refraction.
(ii) A ray of light passing through a principal focus becomes parallel to the principal axis after
refraction.
(iii) A ray of light passing through the optical centre travels undeviated even after refraction.
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9.6 Representation of images formed by concave mirror using ray diagrams:
9.7 Sign convention for reflection by spherical mirrors:
i) The object is always placed to the left
of the mirror.
ii) All distances parallel to the principal
axis are measured from the pole of the
mirror.
iii) All the distances measured to the right
of the origin (along + x-axis) are taken
as positive and vice-versa
iv) Distances measured perpendicular to
and above the principal axis (along +
y-axis) are taken as positive and vice-
versa.
9.8 Mirror formula and Magnification:
1 1 1
Mirror formula is
v u f
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Where v = Image distance, u = Object distance, f = Focal length
Magnification: It is the ratio of the height of image to the height of object.
Height of theimage (h ') v
m
Height of the object (h) u
If 'm' is negative, image is real. If 'm' is positive, image is virtual
If 'm' is '+ve' and less than 1, it is a convex mirror. If 'm' is '+ve' and more than 1, it is a concave
mirror.
If 'm' is '-ve', it is a concave mirror.
Magnification of plane mirror is always + 1.
9.9 Refraction: The process of changing speed at an interface when light travels from one medium to
another resulting in a change in direction is refraction of light.
When a ray of light passes from a rarer medium to a denser medium, it bends towards the normal.
Also, the angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction.
When a ray of light passes from a denser medium to a rarer medium, it bends away from the
normal. Also, the angle of incidence is less than the angle of refraction.
Laws of refraction:
The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal at the point of incidence all lie on the same
plane. The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is a constant, for the
light of a given color and for the given pair of media. This law is also known as Snell's law of
refraction.
sin i
sin r = constant
Refractive index (n): The ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in that
medium. It is also called as Absolute refractive index. The refractive index of a medium is a measure
of how much the light bends when it enters that medium..
The speed of the light in vacuum is 3 x 108 m/s.
Speed of light in vacuum c
Refractive index = Speed of light in medium v
n21 means refractive index of second medium with respect to first medium, n21 = n1/n2
n12 means refractive index of first medium with respect to second medium, n12 = n2/n1
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9.10 Absolute refractive index of some material media:
9.11 Lens: A transparent material bound by two surfaces, of which one or both surfaces are spherical,
forms a lens. Examples: Convex lens, Concave lens etc.
Refraction by spherical lens:
9.12 Image formation by a convex lens for different positions of the object:
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Image formation by a concave lens for different positions of the object:
9.13 Representation of images formed by concave mirror using ray diagrams:
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9.14 Lens formula and Magnification:
1 1 1
Lens formula is
v u f
Where v = Image distance, u = Object distance, f = Focal length
Magnification: It is the ratio of the height of image to the height of object.
Height of the image (h ') c
m
Height of the object (h) v
9.15 Power of a lens:
It is defined as the reciprocal of focal length in meter.
The degree of convergence or divergence of light rays is expressed in terms of power.
1 c 1
Power or P
Focal length (in meter ) v f
SI unit of Power is dioptre (D)
M.Srinivasa Rao, SA(Physics)
SPSMHS, Gudivada
PH: 9848143855
Visit: srini science mind
Physical Science 179 Mundu Chupu
M.Srinivasa Rao, SA(Physics) SPSMHS Gudivada Ph: 9848143855 Visit: srini sciene mind
