LIGHT: REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

Light: Light is a form of energy that produces a sensation of sight to our eyes due to which objects become visible to
us.
Luminous Objects: The objects which produce their own light are called luminous objects, for example Sun, stars,
lighted bulb, lighted candle etc.
Non-luminous Objects: The objects which do not produce their own light but when light from a luminous object falls
on them, they become visible are called non-luminous objects.
For example moon, plants etc

Properties of Light
It is necessary to understand some common properties of light before studying the phenomenon of reflection and
refraction of light. Common characteristics of light are as follows:
1. Light enables us to see objects but itself is not visible.
2. Light travels in the form of electro-magnetic waves.
3. The wavelength of visible light ranges from 3900Ả to 7800Ả.
4. Light does not require a medium to propagate. Light can travel in vacuum. The speed of light in vacuum is 3 x 108
ms-1.
5. Normally, light travels in straight lines.
6. Light can be transmitted through transparent mediums (such as glass, air etc.) but can't transmit through opaque
objects (such as iron, wood etc.)
7. Light is reflected through shining and smooth surfaces.
8. When light passes from one transparent medium to another, it gets refracted.

Reflection of Light
When light falls on a highly polished surface such as mirror, most of the incident light interacting with the surface
returns back to the same medium. This phenomenon is called reflection of light. The surface through which light is
reflected is called reflecting surface. The amount of light reflected light will be more if the surface is smoother and
more polished.

The angle between incident angle and normal is called angle of incidence and is denoted by 'ï. The angle between
reflected ray and normal is called angle of reflection and is denoted by 'r'.

Laws of reflection
The reflection of light from a reflecting surface is based on the following two laws:
First Law: The incident ray, the normal to the mirror at the point of incident and the reflected ray, all lie in the same
plane (such as paper surface).
Second Law: The angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection.

Angle of reflection (r) = Angle of incidence (i)

Plane Mirror
The laws of reflection are applicable to all types of reflecting surfaces including spherical surfaces. If reflecting surface
is a plane mirror, then we know that image formed by a plane mirror has the following properties:
(i) The image formed by a plane mirror is always virtual and erect.
(ii) The size of the image is equal to that of the object.

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(iii) The image formed is as far behind the mirror as the object is in front of it.
(iv) The image formed by a plane mirror is laterally inverted i.e. the right side of object is obtained towards left side of
image and the left side of object is obtained towards right side of image.

Spherical Mirrors
A smooth surface which has been polished to make it reflecting is called a mirror, for example a plane polished glass
place is called a plane mirror.
The mirrors which are parts cut from hollow glass spheres are called spherical mirrors. To make a spherical mirror, a
part of hollow thin glass sphere is cut and polished with mercury or silver on its one surface and is coated with red
oxide. Thus, the other surface becomes a reflecting surface.
Spherical mirrors are of two types:
(i) Concave mirror: The spherical mirrors which are polished on their outer curved surface and reflecting occurs from
their inner curved surface are called concave mirrors.

(ii) Convex mirror: The spherical mirrors which are polished on the inner curved surface and reflection occurs from
the outer curved surface are called convex mirrors.
You may now understand that the surface of the spoon curved inwards can be approximated to a concave mirror and
the surface of the spoon bulged outwards can be approximated to a convex mirror.

Definitions related with spherical mirrors

1. Pole of mirror: The centre of the reflecting surface of a spherical mirror is called the pole of the mirror. P is the pole
of mirror.
2. Centre of curvature: The spherical mirror is a part of hollow glass sphere, the centre of which is called Centre of
curvature of the mirror. C is the centre of curvature of mirror. It lies in front of the reflecting surface in a concave mirror
and behind the reflecting surface in a convex mirror.
3. Radius of curvature: The spherical mirror is a part of hollow glass sphere whose radius is called the radius of
curvature of the mirror. It is denoted by R. PC or MC are radius of curvatures of mirror.
4. Principal axis: The line joining the centre of curvature of mirror and pole is called principal axis of mirror. PC is the
principal axis of mirror.
5. Normal: The line joining the point of a spherical mirror with the centre of curvature is called the normal at that point.
6. Aperture of mirror: The radius of reflecting surface of mirror is called aperture of mirror. Line MM' is the aperture of
mirror.
7. Focus of principal focus: The light rays moving parallel to the principal axis of spherical mirror, after reflection
from mirror, meet/intersect at a certain point on the principal axis or appear to come from a point on the principal axis.
This point F is called principal focus of mirror. The light rays after reflection from concave mirror meet at focus F, while
the light rays, after reflecting from convex mirror appear to come from focal point F. So, the focus of concave mirror is
real and that of convex mirror is virtual. The focus F in concave mirror is in front of the mirror but it is behind the mirror
in convex mirror.
8. Focal length: The distance between the pole and focal point of spherical mirror is called focal length of mirror. It is
denoted by f.
9. Focal plane: The plane normal to the principal axis of mirror and that passes through the focal point is called focal
plane.

Relation between radius of curvature and focal length of a spherical mirror:

The radius of curvature for spherical mirror of small apertures is equal to twice the focal length i.e., R = 2f or f = R/2

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Image Formation Laws of Spherical Mirrors-
Following are the laws to locate the image of an object by a spherical mirror:
(1) A ray parallel to the principal axis, after reflection, passes through the principal focus (concave mirror) or appear to
diverge from the principal focus (convex axis).

(2) A ray passing through the principal focus (in a concave mirror) or directed towards the principal focus (in a convex
mirror), after reflection, emerges parallel to the principal axis.

(3) A ray passing through the centre of curvature (in a concave mirror) or directed in the direction of the centre of
curvature (in a convex mirror), after reflection, is reflected back along the same path.

(4) A ray
incident obliquely to the principal axis, towards a point P (pole of the mirror) is reflected obliquely i.e., the incident and
reflected rays make equal angles with the principal axis.

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Image Formation by Concave Mirror

The object’s position in relation to a concave mirror affects the type and characteristics of the image formed. Different
scenarios result in different types of images:

1.Object at Infinite: A real and inverted image is formed at the focus when the object is placed at infinity. The size of

the image is significantly smaller than that of the object.

2. Object Beyond the Centre of Curvature: When the object is positioned beyond the centre of curvature, a real

image is formed between the centre of curvature and the focus. The size of the image is smaller compared to that of

the object.

3.Object at the Centre of Curvature or Focus: When the object is placed at the centre of curvature, or the focus, a

real image is formed at the centre of curvature. The size of the image remains the same as that of the object.

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4.Object Between the Centre of Curvature and Focus:

If the object is located between the centre of curvature and the focus, a real image is formed behind the centre of
curvature. The size of the image is larger compared to that of the object.

5.Object at the Focus: When the object is positioned exactly at the focus, a real image is formed at infinity. The size

of the image is much larger than that of the object.

6.Object Between the Focus and the Pole: Placing the object between the focus and the pole results in the

formation of a virtual and erect image. The size of the image is larger compared to that of the object.

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Image Formation by Convex Mirror

1.Object at Infinity: When the object is positioned at infinity, a virtual image is formed at the focus of the convex

mirror. The size of the image is significantly smaller than that of the object

2.Object at a Finite

Distance: When an object is placed at a finite distance from the mirror, a virtual image is formed between the pole

and the focus of the convex mirror. The size of the image is smaller than compared to that of the object.

Uses of concave mirror

Concave mirror has the following uses:
1. The concave mirror having large focal distance and large apertures are used a shaving mirror. On keeping the face
between the pole and focus of mirror, the image of face formed is magnified erect and virtual, due to which the small
hairs appear large. Hence, this mirror is very useful for clean shaving.
2. Doctors examine eyes, nose, teeth, throat etc. through reflection of rays using small concave mirror.
3. In table lampshades, the whole light of bulb cab be focused to a limited region using concave mirror. Thus, the
limited region can be made visible.
4. Railway engines, motor-cars, steamers and search light lamps are kept on the focus of concave mirror to get
powerful parallel beams, of light which makes the distant objects visible.

Uses of convex mirror

Convex mirror has the following uses:
1. Convex mirror is diverging, so the light of lamps in markets and streets provides lighting to a large region of road as
a diverging source of light after reflection from convex mirror.
2. Convex mirrors are fitted near driver's seat in trucks, buses and motorcars enabling the drivers to see the image of
all persons and vehicles in a much large area behind him. Such images are seen erect and diminished in size.

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Refraction of light
when a light ray enters from one transparent medium to another transparent medium it gets displaced from its path.
This phenomenon is called 'refraction of light'

Reason of refraction of light: Since the speed of light is different in different transparent media, it is shifted sideward
slightly as it moves from one transparent medium to another transparent medium.
Laws of refraction of light
There are two laws of refraction of light:
1. Incident ray, refracted ray and normal to the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.
2. Snell’s law: The ratio of the sine of angle of incidence and the sine of angle of refraction is a constant for the light
of a given colour and for the given pair of media. If i is the angle of incidence and r is the angle of refraction, then;
𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒊
= 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕
𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒓

Refractive Index:

The ratio between the speed of light in medium to speed in a vacuum is the refractive index. When light travels in a
medium other than the vacuum, the atoms of that medium continually absorb and re-emit the particles of light, slowing
down the speed light.
If a ray of light is travelling from medium 1 into medium 2, then the refractive index of medium 2 with respect to
medium 1 is equal to the ratio of the speed of light in medium 1 and the speed of light in medium
2. This is usually represented by 1𝑛 2.
The refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1
𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝟏 (𝒗𝟏 )
𝟏𝒏 2 =
𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝟐 (𝒗𝟐 )

The refractive index of a medium in vacuum or with respect to air is called absolute refractive index. The absolute
refractive index of a medium is equal to the ratio of the speed of light (c) in vacuum or air and the speed of light in that
particular medium.
𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐫 (𝐜)
The absolute refractive index of a medium (n)= 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 (𝐯)

The absolute refractive index of a medium is simply called its refractive index.

Note: The refractive index of glass is maximum for light of violet colour and minimum for red colour light.

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