RECTLINEAR PROPAGATION OF LIGHT

Compiled by John Thiong’o : Alliance Girls High School Cell ; 0722 274 739 1
 What is Light?
Light is a form of energy that makes visual perception possible. For a
person to see an object, light energy from the object must enter the eye.
This energy is converted into a ‘picture’ and interpreted in the mind.
Besides helping us to see our surroundings, light is also very
essential as a source of energy for the process by which plants
manufacture their food (photosynthesis)

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 Sources of Light
• There are two : Luminous (incandescent) and non-luminous
Luminous objects are those which produce their own light e.g. sun, candles,
electric lamps, glowing worms etc.

Non-luminous objects are those which don’t give their own light but reflect
light that comes from a luminous object. Examples are: the moon, people
pen, table etc.

• You can see an object clearly if light from it enters your eyes.

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Transparent, Translucent and Opaque Objects
1. Transparent objects are those which allow light to pass through
them and clearly see through them e.g. a glass window, clear
water, the air around you. All these substances let light pass
through them.
2. Translucent bodies are those which let light pass through them,
but scatter in all directions e.g. lamp shades, frosted glass,
some plastic etc.
3. Opaque objects are those which cannot allow light to pass
through them at all. e.g. wool, steel, Brick.

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 Rays and beams of light
• We can trace the path of light from a source by drawing
straight lines to join one point to another.
• Such lines are called light rays.
• A bundle of light rays is known as a beam of light.
• Beams of light can be parallel, divergent or convergent.

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 Rays and beams of light
candle

eye

Observation
When the holes in the three cardboard sheets are in line, the eye sees the
lamp. However, when the middle cardboard is displaced, the eye can no
longer see the lamp.
Explanation
When the holes in the cardboards are in a straight line, light travels
through the holes and the lamp is seen from the other side. When one of
the cardboards is displaced, the beam of light is cut and since light cannot
bend to follow the displaced hole, the lamp cannot be seen.
Conclusion
Light travels in a straight line. This property of light is known as the
rectilinear propagation of light.

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 Formation of Shadoows
Shadows are formed when opaque objects in in the path of a beam of light.
The type of shadow formed depends on:

(i) The size of source of light.

(ii) The size of opaque object.
(iii) The distance between the object and the light source.

Point source Extended or broad source

Totally dark shadow

Partially dark shadow

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 Eclipse of the sun
An eclipse is a phenomenon of shadow formation which occurs once
in a while. It is the total or partial disappearance of the sun or moon
as seen from the earth. Eclipses are explained in terms of the relative
positions of the earth, the moon and the sun.
The sun is eclipsed when the moon passes between the sun and the
earth. When this happens, the moon intercepts light from the sun,
thereby casting a shadow on the earth and causing darkness during
the day.

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 Eclipse of the moon
The moon does not emit light, but only reflects light from the sun.
thus, when it passes into the earth’s shadow from direct sunlight, it
is obscured.

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A lunar eclipse only happens occasionally when the moon is full. It can
last for as long as 1 hour 45 minutes, because the moon is much smaller
than the earth and takes sometime to pass through the earth’s umbra.
During a total lunar eclipse, it is still possible to see the moon
because a small amount of sunlight reaches it. The sunlight is bent or
refracted by the earth’s atmosphere giving the moon a dim coppery
colour.

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 The Pinhole Camera
• A pin-hole camera is made using a small rectangular box with a
pin hole at one end, a large rectangular hole at one end, a large
rectangular hole at the other end.
• The rectangular hole at the back is covered with a screen of
special paper like grease proof paper which lets some light pass
through it (i.e. it is translucent).

The image is
• Real
• Inverted
• The nearer the object the bigger the image
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 Magnification
• This is the ratio of the image size to the object size or the ratio of
the image distance to the object distance.

𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝒗) 𝑰𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆 (𝒉𝒊 )

𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = =
𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝒖) 𝒐𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆 (𝒉𝒐 )

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Effect on the Image Formed by the Pinhole Camera
Many pin holes
Each pinhole will form its image resulting into brighter but blurred
image.
Large pinhole
• A large hole is equivalent to several holes and will produce brighter
but blurred image. Blighter but
Blurred
image

Object Large or
many holes
Sharpest images are produced when the diameter of pinhole is about
1mm. Smaller holes than this produce blurred images because of an
effect called diffraction.
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 Rays and beams of light
Bodies like the sun, stars, lamps and fires can be seen because they
are luminous. Non-luminous objects are seen when light from one of
these sources, like the sun, bounces off their surface into our eyes.
This bouncing off of light is called reflection.
Ray box torch

eye

Mirror

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 Types of reflection
Regular/ specular reflection Irregular/diffuse reflection

• If the parallel incident rays are • If the parallel rays fall on an

reflected in such a way that all irregular surface. Then the
the reflected rays are also reflected rays scatter in all
parallel to each other, such a directions. Such a reflection is
reflection is known as regular called irregular reflection.
reflection. • It occurs if the rays are falling
• It occurs only if the rays are on a rough surface. This type of
falling on a highly smooth reflection enables us to see the
polished surface like plane objects around us.
mirror.
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 Terms used in reflection of light
The incident ray is the ray that travels from the source to the reflecting
surface.
The angle of incidence is the angle between the incident ray and the normal.
The normal is the line drawn perpendicularly at the point where the
incident ray strikes the reflecting surface.
The reflected ray is the ray that bounces from the reflecting surface.
The angle of reflection is the angle between the reflected ray and the
normal.

Mirror

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 Laws of reflection of light
a) Laws of reflection of light :-
i) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
ii) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the mirror
at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.

normal

i r

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 Rays and beams of light

When a mirror is rotated through an angle ꝋ, the reflected ray

rotates through an angle 2ꝋ,
The angle of rotation of mirror is equal to the angle of rotation of the
normal
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Characteristics of image formed by a Plane Mirror

The image formed in a plane mirror is always:

 Erect (Upright)
 As far behind the mirror as object is in front of it.
 Virtual. (which cannot be formed on the screen)
 Laterally inverted i.e. left appears on the right & vice versa
 The same size as the object.

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Ray diagram for images formed by a Plane Mirror

Point object broad object

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 Rays and beams of light
• Mirrors at angle forms more than one
image
• The number n of images formed by two
mirrors inclined at an angle 𝜭 is given by
the formula.
𝟑𝟔𝟎
𝒏 = –𝟏
𝜭

When 𝜭=0 ,n= infinite

When 𝜭=90 , n= 3 Infinite is uncountable
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Reflection of light by two or more plane mirrors at an angle

Mirrors at 𝟗𝟎𝟎 Mirrors at ꝋ𝟎

If a ray is incident perpendicular to the mirror it is reflected

back through the same path since i=r=0.

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 Rays and beams of light
This is an instrument used to view objects over obstacles. It is used in
submarines and also to watch over the heads of crowds. The images
seen with the aid of the instrument are erect and virtual.

More elaborate periscopes are used in submarines. Here, prisms are

used instead of mirrors and the tube supporting them incorporates a
telescope to extend the range of vision.

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1. State the property of light associated with formation of shadows
2. Distinguish between real and virtual images.
3. An electric filament lamp used to light a room is replaced by a long
fluorescent tube. State the effect this will have on the shadow formed by object
in the room.
4. A man stands in front of a large plane mirror. If the distance between him
and the plane mirror is 5m. What is the distance between him and his image.
5. Explain why the image of an object formed by a plane mirror is called a
virtual image.
6. A white paper is a good reflector of light but does not form an image like a
mirror. Explain this observation.
7. A lady standing in front a mirror sees an upright image, that is of the same
size as herself. State with a reason the type of the mirror she was using.
8. State the number of images formed when an object is between two plane
mirrors placed parallel to each other.
9. 11 images are formed when two mirrors are inclined at an angle between
them. Determine the angle
10. Two mirrors are inclining at 600 to each other. Determine the number of
images observed and state one application of this arrangement.

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11. Figure below shows a ray of light being incident on a mirror. What is the
angle of reflection?

12. The diagram shows a ray of light incident on a plane mirror. The mirror is
rotated anticlockwise through an angle of 100.
Determine
(i) The angle through which the reflected ray rotated.
(ii) The angle between the incident ray and the new reflected ray

13. The diagram shows the image of a watch face in a plane mirror. What is
the time shown on the watch face?

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14. When the hole on a pinhole camera is made larger the image formed
becomes larger. State one other change on the image formed.
15. State two conditions under which a pinhole camera may form an image on
its screen which has the same size as the object.
16. State two differences between images formed by pinhole camera and a
Plane mirror.
17. State the characteristics of images formed by a pinhole camera.
18. State any 2 ways of in increasing the size of an image formed by a fixed
pinhole camera.
19. A building standing 100m from a pinhole camera produces on the screen
of the camera an image 5 cm high 10 cm behind the pinhole. Determine the
actual height of the building.
20. A pinhole camera forms an image of size 10cm. The object is 5m tall and
20m away from the pinhole. Find the length of the pinhole camera.
21. State one disadvantage of using a pin hole camera to take photographs
22. State two factors that determine the kind of image formed by a pinhole
camera.
23. Explain why enlarging the pinhole of the pinhole camera causes the image
to be blurred.

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24. What are the conditions necessary for the occurrence of annular eclipse?
25. State two factors affecting the type of shadow formed by an object placed
in front of a source of light.
26. When the moon comes between the sun and the earth in a straight line, an
eclipse occurs. Name the eclipse.
27. The figure shows three point sources of light with an opaque object placed
between them and the screen.

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