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Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
Misamis Street, Bago-Bantay, Quezon City

UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS

(USLeM)

GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Week 2
Writer / Illustrator Language Editor
Mrs. Kathleen Joy D. Ladines Mrs. Ritche G. Beloy
Content Editors Layout Artist
Dr. Manolo C. Davantes, Jr. Mr. Marc Christian T Perez
Mr. Jhon Ivan R. De Jesus

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Dr. Malcolm S. Garma

Regional Director
Dr. Genia V. Santos Ms. Micah G. Pacheco
Chief, CLMD EPS, CLMD - Science
Mr. Dennis M. Mendoza Ms. Nancy C. Mabunga
EPS, CLMD - LRMS Librarian II, CLMD-LRMS

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS 2

EXPECTATIONS
This Unified Supplementary Learning Material(USLeM) will help you to:
• relate the properties of EM waves and the properties of vacuum and optical medium;
• explain the conditions for total internal reflection;
• explain the phenomenon of dispersion by relating to Snell’s Law; and
• solve problems involving reflection, refraction, and dispersion.
PRETEST
Directions: Write the letter of your answer on a separate answer sheet.
1. What do you call the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in another
medium?
A. critical angle C. optical density
B. index of refraction D. reflective index
2. What is the other name for the law of refraction?
A. Brewster’s Law C. Malus’s Law
B. Huygen’s Principle D. Snell’s Law
3. When does total internal reflection take place?
A. Total internal reflection happens if the angle of incidence is greater than or equal to
the critical angle.
B. Total internal reflection happens if the angle of incidence is less than or equal to the
critical angle.
C. Total internal reflection happens if the incident ray travels from a material with smaller
index of refraction to a material with greater index of refraction.
D. Total internal reflection happens if the incident ray travels toward a material with
greater index of refraction from a material with smaller index of refraction.
4. Which statement about light is FALSE?
A. When light travels from one medium to another, its frequency does not change but its
wavelength and speed change.
B. When light travels from one medium to another, its frequency changes but its
wavelength and speed remain unchanged.
C. When light travels from one medium to another, its frequency and wavelength change
but its speed remains the same.
D. When light travels from one medium to another, its frequency and speed change but
its wavelength is still the same.
5. What are the conditions needed for total internal reflection to occur?
A. The light rays move from a less dense medium to a denser medium and the angle of
incidence is greater than the critical angle.
B. The light rays move from a denser medium to a less dense medium and the angle of
incidence is greater than the critical angle.
C. The light rays move from a denser medium to a less dense medium and the angle of
incidence is less than the critical angle.
D. The light rays move from a less dense medium to a denser medium and the angle of
incidence is less than the critical angle.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS II
LOOKING BACK
Directions: Identify the parts of the given figures and write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.

INTRODUCTION
Light is an electromagnetic wave. It travels in a straight line with a very high velocity.
But its velocity changes depending on the type of medium through which it is traveling. If it
travels in vacuum, its speed is 299,792,458 m/s. Light has a dualistic nature. It is a wave and
a particle. The branch of physics that deals with the nature and properties of light is called
optics. Geometric optics is the branch of optics that specifically describes light as a ray.
Physical optics, on the other hand, describes light as a wave.

ACTIVITIES
Activity 1
Objectives:
1. Investigate the reflection of light.
2. Discover the laws of reflection.

Materials:
✓ Protractor
✓ Plane mirror
✓ Laser or Flashlight with slit
✓ Pins
✓ Sticky tape
✓ Ruler
✓ Graphing paper

Figure 1. Reflection in Plane Mirror

Procedures:
1. Position the plane mirror at about 5 cm from the top of a graphing paper such that the mirror
stands on a grid line. Mark this line.
2. Choose a line perpendicular to the mirror. Call this the normal line. Choose the line at the
middle.
3. Switch on the light source with the slit or the laser and position it such that the light ray
coming out from the slit hits the surface of the mirror exactly at the normal line as shown in
Figure 1.
4. Once the light hits the mirror, you will see two rays. The one hitting the mirror is called the
incident ray while the one coming out of the mirror is the reflected ray.
5. Mark with a pencil or pen two points on each of the rays.
6. Remove the light source and trace each ray by joining the two points using a pencil and a
ruler.
7. Measure the angle of incidence using a protractor. It is the angle formed between the
normal and the incident ray. Measure also the angle of reflection. This is the angle formed
between the normal and the reflected ray. Record your data in Table 1.
8. Vary the position of the light source two more times.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Table 1. Comparison Between the Angle of Incidence and the Angle of Reflection
Trial Angle of Incidence Angle of Reflection
1
2
3

Guide Question: How do you compare the angles of incidence to the angles of reflection?
State the relationship between them.

Reflection of Light
When light hits a reflecting surface, it bounces back and forms an angle with respect
to the normal line. The direction of the reflected light depends on the texture of the surface
where it strikes. If the surface is smooth, the incident rays are parallel, and they bounce back
at a definite angle. The reflected rays are also parallel with one another. This kind of reflection
is called specular or regular reflection as seen in Figure 2. But if the surface is rough, the
reflected rays are scattered in different directions. This type of reflection is known as diffuse
reflection as displayed in Figure 3. Both types of reflection follow the so-called law of
reflection. This law states that:
1. the incident ray, the normal line, and the reflected ray are located on the same plane.
2. the angle of incidence Ꝋi is equal to the angle of reflection Ꝋr. (This is applicable for
both specular and diffuse reflection. It means that even if the light rays in a diffuse
reflection are reflected in various directions, the angle of reflection is still the same as
the angle of incidence.)

Figure 2. Specular Reflection Figure 3. Diffuse Reflection

Activity 2
Directions: Considering the laws of reflection, draw the normal lines and the reflected rays in
the given figures.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Refraction of Light
The speed of light and its direction vary depending on the type of medium where it
moves. If light travels from a less dense to a denser medium, it tends to slow down. The
refracted ray moves toward the normal as seen in Figure 4. But if it travels from a denser
medium to a less dense medium, it tends to speed up and the refracted ray moves away from
the normal as presented in Figure 5. This bending of light at the boundary between two
different media is called refraction. The same with reflection, the ray that enters the boundary
of two media is the incident ray and the ray that bends depending on the optical density of
the second medium is called the refracted ray. The angle between the refracted ray and the
normal line is called the angle of refraction Ꝋr. If light moves toward an optically dense
medium, the angle of refraction is smaller than the angle of incidence (Ꝋr < Ꝋi). But if light

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS II
passes through a less optically dense medium, the angle of refraction is greater than the angle
of incidence (Ꝋr > Ꝋi). Refraction only occurs if the incident ray enters the medium at a non-
zero angle. If the angle of incidence is zero, that is if light enters perpendicular to the boundary
of the two media, it will just travel straight into the second medium.

Figure 4. Refraction when light moves Figure 5. Refraction when light moves
from less dense to denser medium from denser to less dense medium

Light moves more slowly in a particular medium than in vacuum; thus, light has its
fastest speed when it is traveling in vacuum. The index of refraction (n) is a measure of how
fast or how slow light travels in a material relative to its speed in vacuum. It is the ratio of the
speed of light in vacuum (c) to the speed of light in any medium (v). In equation form,
𝐜
𝐧= equation 1
𝐯

Since light travels fastest in vacuum, the index of refraction in another medium
is always greater than 1. For vacuum, the refractive index is equal to 1. As shown in
equation 1, the speed of light in other medium is inversely proportional to the index of
refraction. Therefore, the greater the index of refraction, the slower the speed. The smaller the
refractive index, the faster the speed of light.
The same with reflection, there is also the so-called law of refraction. It is also known
as Snell’s Law, named after the Dutch Scientist Willebrord Snell. This law has the following
statements:
1. The incident ray, the normal line, and the refracted ray are located on the same plane.
2. The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction is equal to the
ratio of the refractive index of the second medium to the incident medium.
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐢 𝐧
= 𝐫 equation 2
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐫 𝐧𝐢

or ni sin Ꝋi = nr sin Ꝋr equation 3

Suppose one of the media is vacuum, and light travels from vacuum to another
medium, ni = 1 and nr > 1, the light ray is always bent toward the normal. If light moves from
a certain medium to vacuum, ni > 1 and nr = 1, the light ray is always bent away from the
normal.
How does the change in the index of refraction of a medium affect the wave properties
of light?
1. The frequency of the wave remains the same regardless of whether light travels from
less dense to a denser medium or vice versa.
2. The wavelength changes since it is dependent on wave speed based on the equation,
v = λf. Since c > v, the wavelength of light in vacuum λc is greater than its wavelength
in another material λ. Relating λc and λ and index of refraction mathematically,
𝛌𝐜
𝛌= equation 4
𝐧

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Sample Problem

A beam of light travels from medium a to medium b. If medium a is water with an index
of refraction of 1.33 and medium b is glass which has an index of refraction of 1.52, find the
angle of reflection and angle of refraction if the angle of incidence is 40o.

Given: na = 1.33, nb = 1.52, Ꝋa = 40o

Solution:
1. Ꝋb (reflection) = 40o since the law of reflection, the angle in reflection is always equal to
the angle of incidence.
2. Using equation 2,
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐚 𝐧𝐛
=
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐛 𝐧𝐚
𝐧𝐚
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐛 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐚
𝐧𝐛

𝐧𝐚
Ꝋ𝐛 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 ( 𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐚 )
𝐧𝐛

𝟏. 𝟑𝟑
Ꝋ𝐛 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 ( 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟒𝟎𝐨 )
𝟏. 𝟓𝟐

Ꝋ𝐛 = 𝟑𝟒𝒐

Since glass has greater refractive index than water, the refracted ray will bend toward
the normal, thus forming an angle smaller than the angle of incidence.

Activity 3
Directions: Complete the paragraphs by filling in the blanks with the terms inside the
parentheses that you have chosen as your answers.

When a light ray passes from one material (a) into another material (b) having a greater
optical density, the index of refraction of (b) is ________________ (less, greater) than that of
(a), the wave speed ________________ (increases, decreases), the wavelength in the
second material is __________________ (shorter, longer) than that of the first, making angle
θb ________________ (smaller, bigger) with the normal than the angle θa; hence, the ray is
bent ___________________ (away, toward) the normal.
If instead the second material has a lesser optical density than the first, the index of
refraction of (b) is ________________ (less, greater) than that of (a), the wave speed
_____________ (increases, decreases), the wavelength in the second material is
__________________ (shorter, longer) than that of the first, making angle θb
________________ (smaller, bigger) with the normal than the angle θa; hence, the ray is bent
___________________ (away, toward) the normal.

Activity 4
Directions: Solve for the given problems. Show your complete solutions. Express your final
answers into 3 significant figures. Write your answers on another sheet of paper.
1. Light travels in air to a plastic material with an angle of incidence of 65.0o. Since plastic
is more optically dense than air, the refracted ray bent with an angle of refraction of
52.0o. Compute for the speed of light in the plastic material.
2. Light, which has a speed of 2.00 x 108 m/s in quartz, has a wavelength of 360 nm.
a. Find the refractive index of quartz in this wavelength.
b. Find the wavelength of this light if it travels in air.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS II
Total Internal Reflection
Total internal reflection occurs when light
moves from a more optically dense material to a less
optically dense material at an angle greater than the
critical angle. Critical angle (Ꝋcrit) is the angle of
incidence that causes the refracted ray to lie along
the boundary of two media. If the angle of incidence
is equal to or greater than the critical angle, the light
rays will not be able to pass through the second
medium and will remain in the first medium as shown
in Figure 6. Figure 6. Total Internal Reflection

For instance, if light travels from water (na = 1.33) to air (nb = 1.00), the ratio of na to nb
will be greater than 1. This means, sin Ꝋa will be greater than sin Ꝋb. If that happens, it implies
that the angle of incidence Ꝋa is less than 90o. In this example, a critical angle of 49o will give
an angle of refraction of 90o.
𝐧𝐛
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐚 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐛
𝐧𝐚

𝐧𝐛
Ꝋ𝐚 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 ( 𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐛 )
𝐧𝐚

𝟏. 𝟎𝟎
Ꝋ𝐚 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧−𝟏 ( 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟗𝟎𝐨 )
𝟏. 𝟑𝟑

Ꝋ𝐚 = 𝟒𝟗𝒐

To determine the critical angle of two media, Ꝋb should be equal to 90o making sin Ꝋb
= 1; thus, equation 5 will be produced.
𝐧
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭 = 𝐛 equation 5
𝐧𝐚

Activity 5
Directions: From the given equation, derive the formula for the unknowns. Show your
derivation on a separate sheet of paper.
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐢 𝐧𝐫
=
𝐬𝐢𝐧 Ꝋ𝐫 𝐧𝐢
Find nr, ni, sin Ꝋi, sin Ꝋr, Ꝋi, and Ꝋr.
Dispersion
The speed of light changes depending on the medium where light travels. Furthermore,
waves of different wavelengths move at various speeds. This means that the index of
refraction of a particular material varies depending on the wavelength of the incident ray. From
equation 4, the equation for refractive index relative to wavelength can be derived.
𝛌𝐜
𝐧= equation 6
𝛌
The index of refraction decreases when the wavelength increases, likewise the index
of refraction increases when the wavelength decreases. The longer the wavelength of a light
ray, the faster the speed. When white light hits a prism, it is separated into different
wavelengths which is called dispersion. The deviation of the different colors of white light is
due to the difference in the index of refraction. Violet light is bent the most because it has the
shortest wavelength while red light is bent the least because it has the longest wavelength
among the colors of white light.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Activity 6
Directions: Solve for the given problems. Show your complete solutions. Express your final
answers into 3 significant figures. Write your answers on another sheet of paper.
1. The refractive index for a diamond for red light is 2.41 while that for blue light is 2.45.
Their wavelengths are 650 nm and 430 nm, respectively. If whitelight enters the
diamond at 25o, what are the angles of refraction of these colors?
2. The refractive index of crown glass for red light is 1.51 and 1.53 for violet light. Find
the speed of red light and speed of violet light in crown glass.
3. If a light ray in fabulite enters air, find the largest angle of incidence that the ray can
form with the normal for it not to be reflected back into the fabulite. (nfabulite = 2.41)

Image Formation as an Application of Reflection and Refraction

Geometric optics is the branch of optics that deals with the formation of images using
light rays. To determine what kind of image will be formed by an object in a mirror or in a lens,
whether plane or curved, the laws of reflection and refraction are applied. The location, nature,
orientation, and relative size of the image depend on the object (point object or extended
object). Objects can be self-luminous or the light could be produced by another source and
bounced back from the object. Objects can also be a point object or an extended object. A
point object is any object that has no height, width, or length while an extended object has
these dimensions. Light emanates from the object in various directions and some rays hit the
reflecting surface. They reflect at an angle which is equal to the angle of incidence as stated
in the law of reflection. If the reflecting surface is a plane mirror, the image is then formed at a
point where some of the reflected rays seem to be originating. Images can also be formed in
refracting surfaces. Light rays are bent, and their direction depends on the index of refraction
of the two media. Considering the plane interface between glass and air, the light rays are
refracted at the boundary of the two materials and the image is formed at a point where the
light rays seem to emanate. If extended objects will be considered, their images on a plane
mirror will be the same as the size of the object. It is always upright but reversed.
To determine how the image would look like in mirrors and in lenses, ray diagram is
being used. Ray diagram is a presentation of how light rays travel from the object and form
an image in a reflecting or a refracting surface. Ray diagramming will be further discussed on
the next module.

REMEMBER
✓ Reflection is the bouncing back of waves while refraction is the bending of waves at the
boundary between two media.
✓ The law of reflection explains that the incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal are
located on the same plane and the incident angle is always equal to the reflected angle
regardless whether the reflecting surface is smooth or not.
✓ The law of refraction or Snell’s law states that the incident ray, refracted ray, and the
normal are found on the same plane. The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the
angle of refraction is equal to the inverse ratio of the indices of refraction of the two media.
✓ Total Internal reflection occurs only when light rays travel from a denser medium to a
less dense medium and if the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.
✓ Dispersion is the separation of white light into a spectrum of colors by refraction.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
GRADE 12 – GENERAL PHYSICS II
CHECKING YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Directions: Write the terms being described in the given statements. Write your answers on
another sheet of paper.
__________________1. This is a phenomenon that happens when light rays strike a smooth
surface, and they are reflected in one direction.
__________________2. This is the bending of light as it travels from a transparent medium
of one density to another medium of different density.
__________________3. This is the branch of physics that deals with the study of image
formation in mirrors and lenses.
__________________4. This is the method which is used to draw the path that light rays take
to form an image of an object.
__________________5. It is the angle of incidence that causes the refracted ray to lie along
the boundary of two media.
POSTTEST
Directions: Write the letter of your answer on a separate answer sheet.

1. Considering the index of refraction, from where is it assumed that light travels?
A. Air B. Glass C. Vacuum D. Water
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2. If light with a wavelength of 6.00 x 10 m in air passes through a pane of glass with a
refractive index of 1.5, what is the wavelength of the light in the glass?
A. 4.00 x 10-7 m B. 6.00 x 10-7 m C. 9.00 x 10-7 m D. 1.20 x 10-6 m
3. When light moves from the denser medium, the angle of incidence is zero. What will
happen to the light ray?
A. It will be refracted.
B. It will bounce back.
C. It will go straight into the second medium without bending.
D. It will end up at the interface of the two media.
4. Which statement about dispersion is TRUE?
A. Red light is bent the most because it has the longest wavelength.
B. Red light is bent the least because it has the shortest wavelength.
C. Violet light is bent the least because it has the longest wavelength.
D. Violet light is bent the most because it has the shortest wavelength.
5. What condition is needed for total internal reflection to take place?
A. The incident angle is equal to the critical angle.
B. The incident angle is less than the critical angle.
C. The incident angle is bigger than the critical angle.
D. The incident angle is equal to the angle of refraction.

REFERENCES

Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refln/Lesson-3/Reflection-of-Light-

and Image-Formation. March 12, 2021.
Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-5/Image-Formation-
Revisited. March 12, 2021.
Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-4/Dispersion-of-Light-
by-
Prisms#:~:text=Upon%20passage%20through%20the%20prism,colors%20is%20known%20
as%20dispersion. March 12, 2021.
Young, H. D., & Freedman, R. A. (2004). University Physics with Modern Physics. Pearson
Education South Asia PTE LTD.

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UNIFIED SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS
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ANSWER KEY

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