Light – Reflection and Refraction

REFLECTION OF LIGHT

(i) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, and

(ii) The incident ray, the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence and the reflected ray, all
lie in the same plane.

These laws of reflection are applicable to all types of reflecting surfaces including spherical surfaces.

the formation of image by a plane mirror-

Image formed by a plane mirror is always virtual and erect. The size of the image is equal to that of the
object. The image formed is as far behind the mirror as the object is in front of it. Further, the image is
laterally inverted.

SPHERICAL MIRRORS

A spherical mirror, whose reflecting surface is curved inwards, that is, faces towards the centre of the
sphere, is called a concave mirror.

A spherical mirror whose reflecting surface is curved outwards, is called a convex mirror.

The reflecting surface of a spherical mirror is by-and-large spherical. The surface, then, has a circular
outline. The diameter of the reflecting surface of spherical mirror is called its aperture. In Fig.9.2,
distance MN represents the aperture. We shall consider in our discussion only such spherical mirrors
whose aperture is much smaller than its radius of curvature.

A ray passing through the principal focus of a concave mirror or a ray which is directed towards the
principal focus of a convex mirror, after reflection, will emerge parallel to the principal axis. This is
illustrated in Fig.9.4 (a) and (b). A ray passing through the centre of curvature of a concave mirror or
directed in the direction of the centre of curvature of a convex mirror, after reflection, is reflected back
along the same path. This is illustrated in Fig.9.5 (a) and (b). The light rays come back along the same
path because the incident rays fall on the mirror along the normal to the reflecting surface. (iv) A ray
incident obliquely to the principal axis, towards a point P (pole of the mirror), on the concave mirror
[Fig. 9.6 (a)] or a convex mirror [Fig. 9.6 (b)], is reflected obliquely. The incident and reflected rays follow
the laws of reflection at the point of incidence (a) (a) (a) (b) Figure 9.4 (b) Figure 9.5 (b) Figure 9.6 (point
P), making equal angles with the principal axis.

Image formation by Concave Mirror

Image formation by a Convex Mirror

Uses of concave mirrors

Concave mirrors are commonly used in torches, search-lights and vehicles headlights to get powerful
parallel beams of light. They are often used as shaving mirrors to see a larger image of the face. The
dentists use concave mirrors to see large images of the teeth of patients. Large concave mirrors are used
to concentrate sunlight to produce heat in solar furnaces.

Uses of convex mirrors

Convex mirrors are commonly used as rear-view (wing) mirrors in vehicles. These mirrors are fitted on
the sides of the vehicle, enabling the driver to see traffic behind him/her to facilitate safe driving.
Convex mirrors are preferred because they always give an erect, though diminished, image. Also, they
have a wider field of view as they are curved outwards. Thus, convex mirrors enable the driver to view
much larger area than would be possible with a plane mirror

Sign Convention for Reflection by Spherical Mirrors

(i) The object is always placed to the left of the mirror. This implies that the light from the
object falls on the mirror from the left-hand side. (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) All distances parallel to the
principal axis are measured from the pole of the mirror. All the distances measured to the
right of the origin (along + x-axis) are taken as positive while those measured to the left of
the origin (along – x-axis) are taken as negative. Distances measured perpendicular to and
above the principal axis (along + y-axis) are taken as positive. Distances measured
perpendicular to and below the principal axis (along –y-axis) are taken as negative.

Mirror Formula and Magnification

In a spherical mirror, the distance of the object from its pole is called the object distance (u). The
distance of the image from the pole of the mirror is called the image distance (v). You already know that
the distance of the principal focus from the pole is called the focal length (f). There is a relationship
between these three quantities given by the mirror formula which is expressed as

Magnification

Magnification produced by a spherical mirror gives the relative extent to which the image of an object is
magnified with respect to the object size. It is expressed as the ratio of the height of the image to the
height of the object. It is usually represented by the letter m.

Formula
REFRACTION OF LIGHT

Refraction through a Rectangular Glass Slab diagram

The following are the laws of refraction of light. (i) (ii) The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal
to the interface of two transparent media at the point of incidence, all lie in the same plane. The ratio of
sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is a constant, for the light of a given colour
and for the given pair of media. This law is also known as Snell’s law of refraction. (This is true for angle
0 < i < 90o) If i is the angle of incidence and r is the angle of refraction, then,

The Refractive Index

a ray of light that travels obliquely from one transparent medium into another will change its direction
in the second medium. The extent of the change in direction that takes place in a given pair of media
may be expressed in terms of the refractive index

The refractive index can be linked to an important physical quantity, the relative speed of propagation of
light in different media. It turns out that light propagates with different speeds in different media. Light
travels fastest in vacuum with speed of 3×108 m s–1. In air, the speed of light is only marginally less,
compared to that in vacuum. It reduces considerably in glass or water. The value of the refractive index
for a given pair of media depends upon the speed of light in the two media

If medium 1 is vacuum or air, then the refractive index of medium 2 is considered with respect to
vacuum. This is called the absolute refractive index of the medium. It is simply represented as n2

Refraction by Spherical Lenses

Such a lens is called a double convex lens. It is simply called a convex lens. It is thicker at the middle as
compared to the edges. Convex lens converges light rays as shown in Fig. 9.12 (a). Hence convex lenses
are also called converging lenses. Similarly, a double concave lens is bounded by two spherical surfaces,
curved inwards. It is thicker at the edges than at the middle. Such lenses diverge light rays as shown in
Fig. 9.12 (b). Such lenses are also called diverging lenses. A double concave lens is simply called a
concave lens.

Image Formation by Lenses

The SI unit of power of a lens is ‘dioptre’. It is denoted by the letter D. If f is expressed in metres, then,
power is expressed in dioptres. Thus, 1 dioptre is the power of a lens whose focal length is 1 metre. 1D =
1m–1.

Opticians prescribe corrective lenses indicating their powers. Let us say the lens prescribed has power
equal to + 2.0 D. This means the lens prescribed is convex. The focal length of the lens is + 0.50 m.
Similarly, a lens of power – 2.5 D has a focal length of – 0.40 m. The lens is concave.
Power of a Lens