Introductory Physics II
Geometric Optics - Chapter 34
Reflection and refraction – review
Plane mirrors
Lecture 28 – August 5
Outline
• Review – reflection and refraction of light (33.2)
• Law of reflection
• Law of refraction (Snell’s law)
• Plane mirrors (34.1)
• Spherical mirrors (34.2)
• Lenses (33.3 and 33.4)
New concepts/quantities
• Index of refraction
• Object and image (and respective distances)
• Real and virtual images
• Sign convention
Nature of light and geometric optics
• Light is an electromagnetic wave.
• It is composed of variable electric and magnetic fields
propagating from a source.
• It does not need a medium to propagate, the fields can exist in
empty space (vacuum).
• The speed of propagation depends on the medium.
• The geometrical optics – considers the light propagating as
“rays” whose nature is not essential in understanding the laws
of the phenomena studied.
• The reflection and refraction happens when there is an
interface between two media.
Reflection and Refraction
• When a light wave strikes a smooth
interface separating two transparent
materials (such as air and glass or
water and glass), the wave is in
general partly reflected and partly
refracted (transmitted) into the
second material.
• Both phenomena happens at the
same time even though we will
study them separately, for simplicity.
Diffuse and Specular Reflection
• specular reflection - from a very
smooth surface such as highly
polished glass or metal (mirrors).
• diffuse reflection - from a rough
surface
• The vast majority of objects in our
environment are visible because they
reflect light in a diffuse manner.
The Law of Reflection
The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence for all
wavelengths and for any pair of materials.
𝜃𝑟 =𝜃𝑎
normal
Note that all angles are measured from the normal.
Index of Refraction
In vacuum the speed of light is an universal constant:
c=3x108 m/s
In any (transparent) medium the speed of light is less than c.
Index of refraction of an optical material (also called the refractive
index), denoted by n:
𝑐
𝑛=
𝑣
Examples: water – 1.33 glass - 1.5 diamond – 2.4 air – 1 (very close)
The Law of Refraction
𝑛𝑎 sin ( 𝜃𝑎 ) =𝑛𝑏 sin ( 𝜃𝑏 )
This result is also called Snell’s law, after the Dutch scientist Willebrord Snell
(1591–1626).
Notes:
• Each side of the equations contains quantities referring to one side of the
interface.
• Larger index of refraction means smaller angle.
• At normal incidence all angles are zero.
Reflection and Refraction: Case 1
When a ray passes from one material into another material having
a larger index of refraction and hence a slower wave speed, the
angle θb with the normal is smaller in the second material than the
angle θa in the first.
air
water
Reflection and Refraction: Case 2
When a ray passes from one material into another material having
a smaller index of refraction and hence a faster wave speed, the
angle θb with the normal is larger in the second material than the
angle θa in the first.
water air
Total Internal Reflection
• Under certain circumstances,
all of the light can be
reflected back from an
interface, even though the
second material is
transparent.
• This happens if
- critical angle (angle for which
would be 90o.
Critical angle for total internal reflections
Start with Snell’s law and take the angle of refraction equal to 90 o:
𝑜
𝑛𝑎 sin ( 𝜃𝑎 ) =𝑛𝑏 sin (90 )
𝑛𝑏
sin ( 𝜃 𝑐 ) =
𝑛𝑎
Example: water to air
1
na=1.33; nb=1 sin ( 𝜃 𝑐 ) = =0.75 𝜃𝑐 =48.8 0
1.33
Images produced by mirrors and
lenses
The main “qualities” of images produced by any optical
device
1. Real versus virtual
Real – can be projected on a screen
2. Size (larger or smaller than the object)
3. Orientation (upright or inverted)
upright, larger upright, smaller inverted,
about the same size
Reflection at a Plane Surface – image of the object in a
mirror
• Light rays from the object
at point P are reflected
from a plane mirror.
• The reflected rays entering
the eye look as though they
had come from image point
Pʹ.
Image Formation by a Plane Mirror
• There are no real rays
coming from point P’
• This means that the
image is virtual. Virtual image of P
• The two pink triangles
are equal
• |s|=|s’|
• s’ is negative so we
have s=-s’.
Sign Rules
• Object distance (s) – distance of the object from the mirror or lens.
• Image distance (s’) – distance of the image from the mirror or lens.
• Incoming rays – from the object to the mirror or lens
• Outgoing rays – after reflection (mirror) or refraction (lens).
s > 0 IF object on the side of incoming rays
s’> 0 IF image on the side of outgoing rays
(plane mirror)
s s
Characteristics of the Image from a Plane Mirror
In a plane mirror, the image is
• virtual,
• erect (upright)
• the same size as the object.
The Image Is “Reversed”
