Optics - Reflection, Refraction and Lenses

Optics – Reflection, Refraction and
Lenses
Properties of light
• Light travels in a straight line at a speed of 3
x 108 m/s.
• It does not need material medium in which to
travel.
• It is transverse in nature.
• It demonstrates the phenomena of reflection,
refraction, diffraction and interference.
• On passing through prism it separates into
component colours to produce a spectrum
(R.O.Y.G.B.I.V.).
The spectrum of white light
Reflection of light waves/rays
 This is when wave energy bounces off a
surface that does not absorb it or allow it
to pass through it.
 The manner in which a wave/ray is

reflected is governed by laws of
reflection.
Laws of reflection
1. The angle of incidence of a wave/ray is equal
to the angle of reflection.
2. The incident wave/ray, the normal line and

the reflected wave/ray ALL lie in the SAME
plane.
θi – angle of incidence
θr – angle of reflection
dotted line - normal
Reflection produces images…
Images produced by plane mirrors have a
number of properties, including:
 the image produced is upright
 the image is the same size as the object (i.e.,

the magnification is = 1)
Reflection produces images…
 the image is the same distance from the
mirror as the object appears to be (i.e., the
image distance = the object distance)
 the image is a virtual image, as opposed to a

real image, because the light rays do not
actually pass through the image.
Plane mirrors
Plane mirrors
Refraction of light waves/rays
 Refraction is the change is direction of travel
(deviation) of a wave/ray as it travels between
two media that are of DIFFERENT optical
densities.
 The manner in which a wave/ray is refracted

is governed by two laws of refraction.
Laws of refraction
1. The incident ray, the normal and refracted ray
ALL lie in the same plane.
2. The ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the

sine of the angle of refraction gives a constant
value called the refractive index between two
given dissimilar optical media. This is also
known as Snell’s Law.
Refraction at a boundary
Refraction phenomenon
 A wave/ray that is refracted from one medium to
another can either increase in speed (move faster) or
decrease in speed (move slower).
 If the wave/ray INCREASES in speed, then the
direction of travel bends AWAY from the normal.
 If the wave/ray DECREASES in speed, then the
direction of travel bends TOWARDS the normal.
Refraction illusions
Refraction illusions contd..
Refraction illusion explained
Snell’s Law and Refractive Index
Snell’s Law and Refractive Index
Past paper
question – June
2008;
Question 3
Lenses
A lens is an optical material that causes light rays to be
refracted in a predictable manner as light passes through
it. There exists two basic types of lenses:
1. (Bi)-convex lens
2. (Bi)-concave lens
All other lenses can be considered as a combination of

these two basic types.
Bi-convex lens
This lens is also termed as a converging lens

Bi-concave lens
This lens is also termed as a diverging lens

Optical parameters of a converging
lens
Optical parameters of a diverging
lens
How do we ‘see’ objects?
We see an object because light from the object
travels to our eyes as we view along a line at the
object.
Similarly, we see an image of an object because light

from the object reflects off a mirror or refracts
through a transparent material (lens) and travel to our
eyes as we sight at the image location of the object.
How do we ‘see’ objects? (contd)
From these two basic premises, we have defined the
image location as the location in space where light
appears to diverge from.
Because light coming from the object converges or

appears to diverge from this location, a replica or
likeness of the object is created at this location.
Constructing ray diagrams –
Converging lens
 To draw a ray diagram, we will have to recall the three
rules of refraction for a double convex lens:
RULE NUMBER 1
 Any incident ray traveling parallel to the

principal axis of a converging lens will refract
through the lens and travel through the focal
point on the opposite side of the lens.
RULE NUMBER 2
 Any incident ray traveling through the

focal point on the way to the lens will
refract through the lens and travel
parallel to the principal axis.
RULE NUMBER 3
 An incident ray that passes through the

center of the lens will in effect continue
in the same direction that it had when it
entered the lens.
Ray diagram for converging lens
Constructing ray diagrams –
Diverging lens
Light is refracted by double concave lens in a manner
that a virtual image is formed. We also learned
about three simple rules of refraction for double concave
lenses:
RULE NUMBER 1
 Any incident ray traveling parallel to the
principal axis of a diverging lens will refract
through the lens and travel in line with the
focal point (i.e., in a direction such that its
extension will pass through the focal point).
RULE NUMBER 2
 Any incident ray traveling towards the focal

point on the way to the lens will refract
through the lens and travel parallel to the
principal axis.
RULE NUMBER 3
 An incident ray that passes through the center

of the lens will in effect continue in the same
direction that it had when it entered the lens.
Ray diagram for diverging lens
Image comparisons
 Upright vs. Inverted
 Real vs. Virtual
 Magnified vs. Diminished

Real image vs. Virtual image
Upright vs. Inverted image
Magnified vs. Diminished image

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Optics – Reflection, Refraction and

 The manner in which a wave/ray is

2. The incident wave/ray, the normal line and

 the image produced is upright

 the image is the same size as the object (i.e.,

 the image is a virtual image, as opposed to a

 The manner in which a wave/ray is refracted

2. The ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the

All other lenses can be considered as a combination of

This lens is also termed as a converging lens

This lens is also termed as a diverging lens

Similarly, we see an image of an object because light

Because light coming from the object converges or

 Any incident ray traveling parallel to the

 Any incident ray traveling through the

 An incident ray that passes through the

 Any incident ray traveling towards the focal

 An incident ray that passes through the center

 Upright vs. Inverted

 Real vs. Virtual

 Magnified vs. Diminished

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