Light has particle characteristics and

behaves like waves. It is a member of the

electromagnetic spectrum.

Light
 contents
 Reflection of Light

 Refraction of Light

 Total Internal Reflection

 Chapter Review
Optics is the study of the physics of light
Light is a form of energy capable of stimulating the light-
sensitive cells in the retina of the eye
 consists of waves and forms
part of the electromagnetic
spectrum
 sunlight is the most
common source of natural
light
white light is a mixture of
different colours
 travels at the same speed,
3.0 x 108 m s-1 in vacuum
 Properties of light
 It travels in straight lines.
 It is a form of energy.
 It travels at a speed of 3 X 108 m/s in vacuum
 When light hits an object, it can be reflected or refracted
light travels in straight lines
The path along which light energy travels is called a ray.
Represented by a straight line with an arrow to show its
direction of motion.
A beam of light is a bundle of light rays.

parallel beams converging beams diverging beams

Formation of sharp shadows and eclipses are evidence that

light travels in straight lines.
 reflection of light
We are able to see an object only when the light rays
coming from it enter our eyes.

direct source
of light

reflected
light

luminous objects emit light and

we are able to see them directly
non-luminous objects are seen
only because they reflect light
from a source
 Reflection of Light
 Reflection is light being
bounced off after hitting an
opaque surface.
 Reflection allows us to see
objects in our surroundings.
 In reflection of light there are:
 Incident ray: Light ray
coming towards the
surface
 Reflected ray: Light ray
bouncing off the surface
 reflection of light
laws of reflection

plane mirror

i r

incident ray reflected ray

normal

Laws of reflection

The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the
point of incidence all lie on the same plane.
Rough and smooth surfaces appear differently to our eyes due to the light rays
being bounced off from them in different ways.
 reflection of light
diffused and regular reflection

parallel scattered parallel parallel

incident rays reflected rays incident rays reflected rays

rough surface smooth surface

diffused reflection regular reflection

 reflection of light

diffused and regular reflection

In photography, light is sometimes reflected off a rough

white surface to diffuse light.
 the shadows that form are less sharp
 the picture is more pleasant to the eye
Regular or Specular Reflection
Diffuse or Scattered reflection
 reflection of light
laws of reflection

Angle of incidence, i 30° 45° 60° 75°

Angle of reflection, r
REFRACTION
 Refraction of Light

What is Refraction of Light?

A material is transparent if you can see through it.If you can see through it, it
means that light can travel through it.

Transparent materials include air, Perspex, glass, and water.

 refraction of light
Refraction is the change in direction, or bending of light
when it passes from one medium to another.

r is lesser than i r is greater than i

ray of light bends towards the ray of light bends away from the
normal when it enters a denser normal when it enters a less dense
medium at an angle medium at an angle
 Definition of terms

Refraction of light is the change in direction, or bending of

light rays when it passes from one optically transparent
medium to another, caused by its change in speed .
Refracted ray is the bent ray
as a result of passing from one
optical medium to another.
Normal is an imaginary line
perpendicular to the interface
of the media where the
refraction occurs.
Incident ray
Angle of incidence (i) is the angle
between incident ray and the normal.

Angle of refraction (r) is the angle

between refracted ray and the normal.
 Refraction of Light
 Light travels at different speeds in
different materials
because they have different
densities.

 The higher the density, the slower

light travels. Light travels fastest
in space (a vacuum) and a little
slower in air.
 Refraction of Light

Light moves
noticeably more
slowly in glass than
in air because glass is
obviously more
dense.
Light waves
 travel more slowly in glass
than in air.

When light travels from air

to glass, it refracts towards the
normal because it slows down
on entering the glass.
When a light ray travels from
glass to air, it refracts away
from the normal because it
speeds up on leaving the glass.
 Apparent Depth
Objects under water always appear to be
nearer to the surface than they actually are

An optical illusion is formed!

 REAL AND APPARENT DEPTH
 Light from the bottom refracts at the surface.
 This makes the water appear shallower than it really is.
 The light rays bends away from the normal when it reaches the surface.
 To the observer, the apparent depth of the pool is less than the real depth.
Twinkling Stars
Total Internal Reflection
 Refraction from Water to Air:
The Critical Angle
 If you are standing in a clear lake, it is easy to see stones on the
bottom that are near you, but impossible to see ones that are farther
away
 For you to see an object underwater, light must hit the object, reflect
off it, and travel to your eyes
 Because the incident rays are going from water to air, the refracted
rays bend away from the normal
 As the angle of incidence
increases, the angle of refraction
increases more rapidly
 As the angle of incidence continues to increase, the angle of
refraction will eventually reach 90°
 At this angle of incidence, the refracted ray lies along the boundary
between the two media
 No light passes into the second medium (air in this case)

The angle of incidence

that produces a
refracted ray at an
angle of 90° from the
normal is called the
critical angle, ∠c
 When the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle, the angle of
refraction cannot get any larger because the refracted ray would no longer
be in the second medium
 So, at angles of incidence greater than the critical angle, no refraction
occurs – all the light is reflected back into the first medium

This phenomenon is
called total internal
reflection.
Applications of Total Internal Reflection
 Binoculars
 The direction of light is reflected twice in binoculars by prisms to make the
path of the light longer
 Need to extend the path due to the distance to the focal point of the lenses used
(more on that later in this unit!)
Applications of Total Internal Reflection

Retroreflectors
 Look like small plastic prisms
 e.g., bicycle reflectors
 Changes direction of incoming light by 180°
 Regardless of the direction that light from headlights hits the reflectors, the
light is always reflected directly back to the car
Applications of Total Internal Reflection

Fibre Optics
 Fibre optics have revolutionized all forms of communication, including
the internet
 Allows information to be sent as pulses of light instead of pulses of
electricity
 Optical fibres are made of a glass core which is surrounded by an
optical cladding
 The cladding is a covering made of a different kind of glass than the
fibre inside
Fibre Optics
 When light enters the end of the fibre in a direction that is almost parallel
to the fibre, it hits the boundary between the core and the cladding at an
angle that is larger than the critical angle
 Even when the fibre is bent, the light is totally internally reflected along
the entire fibre until it reaches the other end
What is cladding?
 Cladding is one or more layers of materials of lower refractive index,
in intimate contact with a core material of higher refractive index.
 The cladding causes light to be confined to the core of the fiber by
total internal reflection at the boundary between the two.
 Light propagation in the cladding is suppressed in typical fiber. Some
fibers can support cladding modes in which light propagates in the
cladding as well as the core.
Applications of Fibre Optics
 Telecommunications:
◦ Many copper cables that used to carry information have been
replaced by fibre optics
◦ Benefits include:
 Signals are not affected by electrical storms
 Can carry many more signals over longer distances
 Are smaller and lighter than copper cables

 Medicine:
◦ An endoscope uses optical fibre bundles to assist a surgeon with
minimally invasive surgery (a.k.a., “keyhole surgery” with small
incisions)
◦ One bundle of fibres carries light into the surgery area, and
another carries a video signal back to a monitor
◦ Allows faster recovery times and easier diagnostics