SCIENCE

LIGHTS UP
MY LIFE
 LIGHT
OPTICS – STUDY OF
LIGHT
 Theories about Light
1. Wave theory (Christian Huygens)
- considered light to be a wave
propagating in ether
2. Corpuscle Particle theory (Isaac Newton)
- light consists of tiny particles emitted
by a luminous object
3. Electromagnetic theory (James Clerk
Maxwell)
- light is an electromagnetic wave, that
is a transverse wave that is partly
magnetic and electrical in nature
4. Quantum theory ( Max Planck)
- light is emitted in discrete packets of
energy called quanta. Einstein called each
quantum of energy as photon
 Dual Nature of Light

• Light is a wave. (Christian Huygens)

• Light is a particle. (Isaac Newton)

 Light travels in straight lines:

Laser

LASER – Light Amplification by the

Stimulated Emission of Radiation
 LIGHT SCATTERS
Light scatters and loses energy
the farther away from its
source.
 Light travels VERY FAST – around
300,000,00 meters per second.

At this speed it can

go around the world 8
times in one second.
Light travels much faster than sound. For example:

1) Thunder and lightning

start at the same time,
but we will see the
lightning first.

2) When a starting pistol

is fired we see the
smoke first and then
hear the bang.
We see things because they
reflect light into our eyes:

Homework
 Luminous and non-luminous objects

A luminous object is one that produces light.

A non-luminous object is one that reflects light.

Luminous objects Reflectors

-The Sun -The Moon

- Lamps - Mirrors
- Lights - People
- Lasers - Objects
- Campfires
 TRANSMISSION:
Terms for medium
Transparent- allows all light to
pass through.
Translucent- allows some light
to pass through.
Opaque- allows no light to pass
through.
CLEAR=TRANSPARENT
SMOKY=TRANSLUCENT
SOLID=OPAQUE
When Light Strikes an
Object
When light
strikes an
object, the
light can be
reflected,
transmitted,
or absorbed.
 REFLECTION OF LIGHT
(bouncing of light into the same medium after
striking a surface)

Normal

Incident ray Reflected ray

Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection

Mirror
 The Law of Reflection

Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

In other words, light gets reflected from a surface at

THE SAME ANGLE it hits it.

The
same !!!
 Specular vs. Diffuse Reflection

Smooth, shiny surfaces

have a regular or
specular reflection:

Rough, dull surfaces have

a diffuse reflection.

Diffuse reflection is when

light is scattered in
different directions
Ray Diagrams
A ray of light is an extremely
narrow beam of light.
All visible objects emit or reflect
light rays in all directions.
Our eyes detect light rays.
 We see images when
light rays
converge in our eyes.

converge: come together

Mirrors reflect light

image

object
Mirrors reflect light rays.
Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

How do we see
images in
mirrors?
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image
How do we see
images in mirrors?
Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image
in the eye.
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image
How do we see
images in mirrors?
Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image in the eye.
The eye perceives light rays as if they came through the mirror.
Imaginary light rays extended behind mirrors are called sight lines.
 Plane Mirrors
(flat mirrors)

object image
How do we see
images in mirrors?
Light reflected off the mirror converges to form an image in the eye.
The eye perceives light rays as if they came through the mirror.
Imaginary light rays extended behind mirrors are called sight lines.
The image is virtual since it is formed by imaginary sight lines, not real light rays.
 Plane Mirror Images
• Virtual
• Upright
• The same size as the object
• The same distance behind the mirror as
the object is in front of the mirror
• Laterally reversed

Note: ½ of your height - size of mirror you

need to see your full image in a plane mirror
Spherical Mirrors
(concave & convex)
 Concave & Convex
(just a part of a sphere)

r • v
•
C F f
C: the center point of curvature
r: radius of curvature (just the radius of the sphere)
-distance between C and V (vertex-center of the mirror)
F: the focal point of the mirror (halfway between C and the mirror)
f: the focal length, f = r/2
 Concave Mirrors
(converging)

• •
C F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis reflect

through the focal point.
 Concave Mirror
(example)

• •
C F
optical axis
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and

reflects through the focal point.
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
 Concave Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
A real image forms where the light rays converge.
Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and

reflects through the focal point.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The image forms where the rays converge. But they don’t seem to converge.
 Concave Mirror
(example 2)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
A virtual image forms where the sight rays converge.
 Your Turn
(Concave Mirror)

•
object F
optical axis

concave mirror
• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the mirror
 Your Turn
(Concave Mirror)

•
obje F
optical axis
ct

concave
mirror
• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the mirror
 Convex Mirrors
(diverging)

•
F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis reflect from the focal point.

The focal point is considered virtual since sight lines, not light rays, go through it.
Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and

reflects through the focal point.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal
point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical
axis.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
 Convex Mirror
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and reflects through the focal point.
The second ray comes through the focal point and reflects parallel to the optical axis.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
A virtual image forms where the sight lines converge.
 Your Turn
(Convex Mirror)

•
obje F
optical axis
ct

convex
mirror
• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the mirror
 Your Turn
(Convex Mirror)

•
object image F
optical axis

convex mirror
• Note: mirrors are thin enough that you just draw a line to represent the mirror
• Locate the image of the arrow
reduced, real, inverted
Magnified, real, inverted
Magnified, real, inverted
No image
Magnified, virtual, upright
 Refraction
(bending light)

Refraction is when light normal

bends as it passes from θi
one medium into air
another.
glas
θr s
θi bloc
When light traveling
k
through air passes into
the glass block it is
refracted towards the θr air
normal. normal
 Lenses
The first telescope, designed and built by Galileo, used
lenses to focus light from faraway objects, into
Galileo’s eye. His telescope consisted of a concave
lens and a convex lens.

light from convex concave

object lens lens

Light rays are always refracted (bent) towards the

thickest part of the lens.
 Concave Lenses

Concave lenses are thin in the

middle and make light rays
diverge (spread out).

•
F
optical axis

If the rays of light are traced back (dotted sight lines),

they all intersect at the focal point (F) behind the lens.
 Concave Lenses

•
F optical axis

The light rays behave the same way if we ignore the

thickness of the lens.
Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis diverge
from the focal point.
 Concave Lenses

•
F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis still

diverge from the focal point.
 Concave Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and

refracts from the focal point.
 Concave Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts from the focal
point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
 Concave Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts from the focal point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
 Concave Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts from the focal point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
A virtual image forms where the sight lines converge.
 Your Turn
(Concave Lens)

•
obje F
optical axis
ct

concave
lens
• Note: lenses are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the lens.
 Your Turn
(Concave Lens)

•
object F
image optical axis

concave lens
• Note: lenses are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the lens.
 Convex Lenses
Convex lenses are thicker in the middle and focus light rays to a focal point in
front of the lens.

The focal length of the lens is the distance between the center of the lens and
the point where the light rays are focused.
Convex Lenses

•
F
optical axis
 Convex Lenses

•
F
optical axis

Light rays that come in parallel to the optical axis

converge at the focal point.
 Convex Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and

refracts through the focal point.
 Convex Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts through the focal
point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
 Convex Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts through the focal
point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
 Convex Lens
(example)

•
F
optical axis

The first ray comes in parallel to the optical axis and refracts through the focal point.
The second ray goes straight through the center of the lens.
The light rays don’t converge, but the sight lines do.
A virtual image forms where the sight lines converge.
 Your Turn
(Convex Lens)

optical axis
• image
object F

convex lens
• Note: lenses are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the lens.
 Your Turn
(Convex Lens)

optical axis
• image
object F

convex lens
• Note: lenses are thin enough that you just draw a line
to represent the lens.
 CONVEX LENS
(Converging lens)
• Magnifying glass – virtual, erect, larger
than object
• Lighthouse – no image
• Projector – real, inverted, larger than
object
• Office copier – real, inverted, same size
as object
• Camera/refracting telescope – real,
inverted, smaller than object
CONCAVE LENS
(Diverging lens)

• Virtual

• Upright

• Reduced
 INDEX OF REFRACTION
(optical density)
MATERIAL n
Air 1.0003 (the higher the index
Benzene 1.50 of refraction, the slower
Diamond 2.42 light travels in that
Glass,crown 1.52 substance)
Glass, flint 1.66
Glycerin 1.47
Ice 1.31
Quartz 1.460
Water 1.33
Zircon 1.92
 TOTAL INTERNAL
REFLECTION
• Occurs when light travels from a denser
to a less dense medium and strikes the
surface at an angle greater than the
critical angle of a material
• Total internal reflection gives a diamond
exquisite sparkle
• Transmission of light ray in an optical
fiber
• Design of chandeliers
 DISPERSION
When light enters
a new medium it
bends (refracts).
Each wavelength
bends a different
amount allowing
white light to
separate into it’s
various colors
ROYGBIV.
OPTICAL DEVICES
THE HUMAN EYE
 PARTS FUNCTION
EYELID Protects, opens and closes the eyeball

CORNEA Refracts light rays, does most of the focusing

of the rays
LENS Refracts light rays, fine focusing

IRIS Controls the amount of light rays that enter

the eye
PUPIL Allows light to pass into the from the aqueous
humor to the lens
RETINA Serves as a screen where the image is formed
 PHYS-bit
Do you know that your pupil betrays your
moods and emotions? The pupil dilates in
response to interest and arousal. It also
dilates when we see, hear, smell, or taste
something pleasing to us. On the other
hand, it constricts when we are not
interested or when we see, smell, taste, or
hear something repugnant to us.
Pupilometrics is the study of the size of
pupil in relation to attitudes. If somebody
says “I Love You” with constricted eyes,
will you believe him?
 CAMERA

PARTS FUNCTION
APERTURE Allows light to enter the camera

CONVEX LENS Refracts light rays

SHUTTER Opens or closes like the eyelids of the eye

DIAPHRAGM Changes the size of the aperture

FILM Screen where the image is formed

 Nearsightedness
(myopia)

• Long eyeball
• Image of distant objects falls in
front of retina
• Concave lenses bring the point of
focus backward and on the retina
 Farsightedness
(hyperopia)
• Short eyeball
• Image of distant object falls
behind the retina
• Convex lens bring the point of
focus forward and on the retina
THE MAGNIFYING GLASS
(convex lens)
MICROSCOPE
(convex lens)
 TELESCOPE
(convex lens/concave mirror)
 BINOCULARS
(prisms/lenses)
 PERISCOPE
(prisms/mirrors)