The Nature of Light and
the Principles of Ray Optics
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 10e
Raymond A. Serway
John W. Jewett, Jr.
Fizeau’s Method
Example:
Measuring the Speed of Light with Fizeau’s Wheel
Assume Fizeau’s wheel has 360 teeth and rotates at
55.0 rev/s when a pulse of light passing through
opening A in the figure passes through opening C on its
return. If the distance to the
mirror is 7 500 m, what is the
speed of light?
2d 2d
c
t
2 7 500 m 55.0 rev/s
c 1
2.97 108 m/s
360 rev
Analysis Model: Wave Under Reflection
Law of Reflection
1 1
Example:
The Double-Reflected Light Ray
Two mirrors make an angle of 120° with each other as
illustrated in the figure. A ray is incident on mirror M1
at an angle of 65° to the normal. Find the direction of
the ray after it is reflected from mirror M2.
65 25
M 90 35 55
2
M M 55
2 2
Example:
The Double-Reflected Light Ray
Notice that the angle between the incident and reflected rays at
Mirror M1 is 65° + 65° = 130°. Therefore, the angle by which the
direction of the light ray changes from its original direction is
180° – 130° = 50°. Similarly, for the reflection at mirror M2, the
change of direction is 70°. Therefore, the overall change in
direction of the light ray for two reflections is 50° + 70° = 120°.
Interesting!" This angle is the same as that between
the mirrors. What if the angle between the mirrors
is changed? Is the overall change in the direction
of the light ray always equal to the
angle between the mirrors?
Example:
The Double-Reflected Light Ray
90 180
180 2
180 2 90 360 2
Retroreflection
Analysis Model:
Wave Under Reflection
1 1
Analysis Model:
Wave Under Refraction
sin 2 v2
sin 1 v1
Question
If beam 1 is the incoming beam in the figure, which of
the other four red lines are reflected beams and which
are refracted beams?
Answer
If beam 1 is the incoming beam in the figure, which of
the other four red lines are reflected beams and which
are refracted beams?
Beams 2 and 4 are
reflected;
beams 3 and 5 are
refracted.
Analysis Model:
Wave Under Refraction
Analysis Model:
Wave Under Refraction
Index of Refraction
speed of light in vacuum c
n
speed of light in a medium v
Snell’s Law
v1 1 f and v2 2 f
1 v1 c /n1 n2
2 v2 c /n2 n1
1n1 2 n2
n n
n
n1 sin 1 n2 sin 2
Snell’s Law
sin 2 v2
sin 1 v1
v1 n2
v2 n1
n1 sin 1 n2 sin 2
Analysis Model:
Wave Under Refraction
sin 2 v2
sin 1 v1
n1 sin 1 n2 sin 2
Example:
Angle of Refraction for Glass
A light ray of wavelength 589 nm traveling through air
is incident on a smooth, flat slab of crown glass at an
angle of 30.0° to the normal.
(A) Find the angle of refraction.
n1
sin 2 sin 1
n2
n1
2 sin sin 1
1
n2
1.00
2 sin
1
sin 30.0 19.2
1.52
Example:
Angle of Refraction for Glass
(B) Find the speed of this light once it enters the glass.
c
v
n
3.00 108 m/s
v 1.97 108 m/s
1.52
Example:
Angle of Refraction for Glass
(C) What is the wavelength of this light in the glass?
589 nm
n 388 nm
n 1.52
Example:
Light Passing Through a Slab
A light beam passes from medium 1 to medium 2, with
the latter medium being a thick slab of material whose
index of refraction is n2. Show that the beam emerging
into medium 1 from the other side is parallel to the
incident beam.
n1
sin 2 sin 1
n2
n2
sin 3 sin 2
n1
n2 n1
sin 3 sin 1 sin 1
n1 n2
Example:
Light Passing Through a Slab
What if the thickness t of the slab is doubled? Does the
offset distance d also double?
t
a
cos 2
d a sin a sin 1 2
t
d
cos 2 sin 1 2
Prisms
Example:
Measuring n Using a Prism
Although we do not prove it here, the minimum angle
of deviation dmin for a prism occurs when the angle of
incidence 1 is such that the refracted ray inside the
prism makes the same angle with the normal to the two
prism faces as shown in the figure. Obtain an
expression for the index of refraction of
the prism material in terms of the
minimum angle of deviation and
the apex angle .
Example:
Measuring n Using a Prism
min min
1 2
2 2 2
sin 1
1.00 sin 1 n sin 2 n
sin 2
min
sin
n 2
sin /2
Huygens’s Principle
All points on a given wave front are taken as point
sources for the production of spherical secondary
waves, called wavelets, that propagate outward
through a medium with speeds characteristic of
waves in that medium.
After some time interval has passed, the new
position of the wave front is the surface tangent to
the wavelets.
Huygens’s Principle
Huygens’s Principle
Applied to Reflection
BC AD
cos and cos
AC AC
1 and 1
Because AC BC ,
cos cos
1 1
1 1
Huygens’s Principle
Applied to Refraction
BC v1t AD v2 t
sin 1 and sin 2
AC AC AC AC
sin 1 v2 c /n1 n2
sin 2 v1 c /n2 n1
n1 sin 1 n2 sin 2
Total Internal Reflection
n1 sin c n2 sin 90 n2
n2
sin c
n1
for n1 n2
Example:
A View from the Fish’s Eye
Find the critical angle for an air–water boundary.
(Assume the index of refraction of water is 1.33.)
n2 1.00
sin c 0.752 c 48.8
n1 1.33
Optical Fibers
Optical Fibers
Question
A solar eclipse occurs when
the Moon passes between
the Earth and the Sun. Use a
diagram to show why some
areas of the Earth see a
total eclipse, other areas
see a partial eclipse, and
most areas see no eclipse
Question
Explain why a diamond sparkles more than a glass
crystal of the same shape and size.
Answer:
Diamond has higher index of refraction than glass and
consequently a smaller critical angle for total internal
reflection. A brilliant-cut diamond is shaped to admit
light from above, reflect it totally at the converging
facets on the underside of the jewel, and let the light
escape only at the top. Glass will have less light
internally reflected.
Question
As light travels from one medium to another, does the
wavelength of the light change? Does the frequency
change? Does the speed change? Explain.
Answer:
Suppose the light moves into a medium of higher
refractive index. Then its wavelength decreases. The
frequency remains constant. The speed diminishes by a
factor equal to the index of refraction.
Question
A narrow beam of sodium yellow light, with
wavelength 589 nm in vacuum, is incident from air
onto a smooth water surface at an angle of incidence
of 35.0°. Determine the angle of refraction and the
wavelength of the light in water
