Chapter 8: Light and Optics

8.1 The Use of Mirrors

Types of Image
(i) Real image – form on screen (e.g. projector)

(ii) Virtual image – image cannot be formed on screen

- formed by plane mirror

Plane mirror

- applies the concept of light reflection.

- Characteristics: (a) upright
(b) laterally inverted
(c) virtual
(d) same size as object
(e) same distance as object
- Uses: helps dancer to correct his movement
makes a living room look spacious(bigger)

Concave mirror
- Characteristic of image formed depends on position of object
- Uses: Helps to magnify the image for easier make up
Assists dentist to see patient’s teeth
Convex mirror
-Characteristic: (a) the size of image smaller than the size of object
(b) upright
(c) virtual
- Uses: as safety feature at dangerous corner of a road
helps shopkeeper to see every corner of supermarket to prevent theft
as side mirror of car to allow driver to see a wider view and other vehicles at the sides and
behind

Comparison among three types of mirror

Plane mirror Concave mirror Convex mirror

Shape Flat Bend inwards Bend outwards
Size of image Same with object Larger than object Smaller than object

Reflection of light Reflect in parallel Reflect inwards and Reflects outwards and
converge diverge

Optical Instruments that apply the concept of reflection of light

1. Periscope
- used in submarine to observe sea surface

2. Kaleidoscope
- toy made using plane mirrors
- create various amazing patterns
- amount of objects less than amount of images

8.2 Properties of light

- Light travels in a straight line
- Light travels in high speed (3x10⁸ms⁻¹)
- shadow formed when light is blocked by opaque object
- can be dispersed by water droplets in sky, rainbow is formed

8.3 Reflection of light

Law of Reflection
- used to determine the position and characteristics of image formed
- incident ray, reflected ray and normal line all lie on the same plane
- angle of reflection (r) equals to angle of incidence (i)

Application of reflection of light

- Reflective strips for signboard can be seen easily at night / dark situation
- Emergency triangular reflector used when vehicle breakdown can be noticed by road users
- tight reflecting stripes jacket can be seen by other workers at construction site

8.4 Refraction of Light

- Change in the direction of light (bending of light)
- when light travels through two mediums of different densities
- Change in the speed of light when ray travels from a medium to another medium of different
density
- light travels slower in a denser medium
- light travels faster in a less dense medium

3 Rules when drawing a ray diagram of refraction

1) Increases speed  refracts away from normal
2) Decreases speed  refracts towards normal
3) Parallel to normal  no refraction
i normal normal

air_____________________ water
glass air

normal

air

glass
normal

glass
air
NO refraction!
* Refraction occurs when incident ray is not parallel to normal
Why does a bottom of a swimming pool appear shallower?
- Refraction of light
-Light rays from the bottom of the swimming pool is retracted away from the normal
- It refracted from water (denser medium) to the air (less dense medium)

1. Draw the virtual image at a

higher and closer distance
air 2. Draw straight line from image
to eyes
water 3. Remember! Light rays from the
image must be in dash line.
4. Connect the line from eye to
the object
5. Important! All actual light rays
must have arrow!

8.5 Dispersion of Light

RED
Highest speed
least refracted

VIOLET
Lowest speed
Most refracted

- White light consists of 7 colours

- Different colour has different speed.
- Each colour is refracted to a different degree by the glass, that is why colours disperse into a
spectrum of light.
- Higher speed gets less refracted
- Example: Formation of rainbow
1. During the heavy rain, there are a lot of
rain water droplets floating in the sky.

2. Sunlight entering the droplets of rain

water will be refracted and dispersed into
the seven colours of light.

3. The seven colours of light are reflected

and refracted out of the rain water droplets
into the air to form a spectrum of sunlight
known as a rainbow.
8.6 Scattering of Light

Scattering of light occurs when light is reflected in all directions by clouds or particles in the air.

Earth is surrounded by a layer of gases called

atmosphere.

When sunlight entering the Earth’s surface, it is

reflected from its original path by dust particles,
water droplets and gas molecules.

This is called scattering of light in which air

molecules absorb sunlight and reemit it in
various directions.

The amount of light that is scattered

depends on the wavelength of the
light.

Wavelength decreases from red light

to violet light. Rayleigh Law of
Scattering states that the shorter the
wavelength of light, the more it will
be scattered. Blue has shorter
wavelength, is scattered more than
red light in the atmosphere.

The distance that sunlight must

travel through the atmosphere
before reaching our eyes also
affects the amount of light that is
scattered.

This distance depends on the time

of the day.

At noon, when the sun is high in the

sky, the path of sunlight in the
atmosphere is at its shortest.

During sunrise and sunset, the sun is

at horizon. Path of sunlight at the
atmosphere is at its longest.

At night, the sky is dark because

sunlight cannot reach the surface.
Midday – Blue sky

- During the day, blue light is scattered more than red light in the atmosphere
- Due to shorter distance traveled, it is able to reach our eyes before being completely
scattered away
- Therefore, sky looks blue
Violet and indigo has shorter wavelength than blue
why the sky not appears violet or indigo?
Sunset or sunrise – Red sky
- sun emits more blue light compared to violet light.
- human eyes are more sensitive to violet light
- During sunrise and sunset, the sun is at horizon
- Path of sunlight at the atmosphere is at its longest
- Shorter wavelengths (blue) are scattered away
- Only red light (less scattered) reaches our eye
- Therefore, sky looks red

8.7 Addition and Subtraction of Light

Coloured lights can be categorized into two types:

(a) Primary colour:
- basic colour
- cannot be produced by colour mixing
- Red, Blue, Green
(b) Secondary colour:
- produced from mixing of two primary colours
- Yellow, Cyan, Magenta

Addition of light

- Mixing of primary colour lights to produce secondary colour lights

Primary colour¹ + Primary colour² = Secondary colour
Red Blue Magenta
Red Green Yellow
Blue Green Cyan
Red + Blue + Green = White

Subtraction of light
- Occur when opaque object reflects the light of same colour and absorb the other colour
- The same colour light (with opaque objects) will be reflected directly into our eyes whereas
other colours will be absorbed by the objects.
- Object with secondary colours will reflect the light which has the same colours as them and
primary colours which form them
The principle of light subtraction
The colour of opaque objects depends on the colour of the light reflected into our eyes.

1. Objects with primary colours (red, blue, green) will only reflect the light which has the same
colours as them.

A green object only reflects green light. Other

coloured lights will be absorbed. Therefore, the
object appears green.

2. Objects with secondary colours (yellow, magenta, cyan) reflect the light of the same colour and
also the light of primary colours which form the secondary colour.

White light

A yellow object reflects yellow, red and

green colours. The overlap of red and green
light causes the object to appear yellow.
Yellow object

3. White objects appear white in white light because white objects reflect all colours in white
light.
White light

White objects reflects all colours in white

light. All coloured lights overlap to produce
white light again.
White object

4. Black objects appear black because they absorb all colours in white light.

White light

Black objects absorbs all colours in white

light. No coloured lights are reflected.
Therefore, the objects appear black.
Black object
There are two types of colour filter to help us understand the principle of subtraction.
(a) Primary colour filters: allow only light of same colour to pass through, while light of other
colours are absorbed.
(b) Secondary colour filter: allow light of same colour and light of primary calour which form the
secondary colour to pass through. Light of other colours are absorbed.

Examples of Addition and subtraction of light

 Colour television
 Coloured lights on stage
 Coloured lights in a stadium
 Coloured lights at KLCC