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The document explains the concepts of reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light, detailing the historical development of these ideas from ancient philosophers to Ibn al-Haytham's experiments. Reflection occurs when light bounces off a surface, while refraction involves light changing direction and speed as it passes through different media. Diffraction is the spreading of light waves when they encounter an aperture or obstacle, with key distinctions made between these phenomena.

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7 views4 pages

report-in-p6 (2)

The document explains the concepts of reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light, detailing the historical development of these ideas from ancient philosophers to Ibn al-Haytham's experiments. Reflection occurs when light bounces off a surface, while refraction involves light changing direction and speed as it passes through different media. Diffraction is the spreading of light waves when they encounter an aperture or obstacle, with key distinctions made between these phenomena.

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REFLECTION, REFRACTION, AND

DIFFRACTION OF LIGHT
What is Reflection?
Pythagoras (about 500 years BCE), best known for the theorem of the right-
angled triangle, proposed that vision resulted from light rays emerging from a
person’s eye and striking an object. Epicurus argued the opposite: Objects produce
light rays, which then travel to the eye. Other Greek philosophers — most notably
Euclid and Ptolemy — used ray diagrams quite successfully to show how light
bounces off a smooth surface or changes direction as it passes from one transparent
medium to another.

Epicurus was honing in on the correct idea, but it took until the 9th and
10th centuries before we started to get close to what really happens. Abu Ali
Mohammed Ibn Al Hasn Ibn Al Haytham (Ibn al-Haytham), who lived in present-
day Iraq between A.D. 965 and 1039, identified the optical components of the
human eye and correctly described vision as a process involving light rays
bouncing from an object to a person’s eye. A key difference with Ibn al Haytham’s
conclusion was that he determined it by performing an actual scientific experiment
where he shone two lanterns through two pin holes at different heights into a dark
room. In the wall of the dark room he saw two light spots. When he removed one
lantern, the light spot that corresponded to that lantern disappeared. This finding
enabled him to conclude that rather than light emanating from the eye, it is
reflected off objects in a straight line.

The way light reflects off a surface is predictable and follows the law of reflection.

Reflection
When a wave travelling through a medium (such as air) hits the surface of another
medium (such as a mirror) it is reflected.
Incident Ray - ray that hits the surface
Normal - a line draw at 90° to the surface of materials reflecting the wave.
Angle of Incidence (i)- the ange between the incidence ray and the normal.
Angle of Reflection (r) – the angle between the normal and the reflected ray.

The law of reflection


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

What is Refraction?
While light travels in a straight line and passes from one medium into
another, for example from air to water, it will change speed and change direction.
This is called refraction. The speed of light will change depending on the medium
it travels through. The constant (the c in E = mc2) is the speed of light in a
vacuum.

Technically the speed of light does not change, because as it passes


through the medium it interacts with the atoms in that different media, changing
direction with each interaction, which affects the time it takes to pass through the
particular media

Figure 2. As light passes from one medium to another it will change


direction (refracts) and slow down, or more accurately take a longer route from its
point of entry to the point of exit and therefore appear to have slowed down. In this
case because water is denser than air it refracts toward the normal line. As it exits
the water into the air it will refract away from the normal line.

Light does not bend, technically. You may see references to light bending
when it refracts. This refers to light changing direction. Light does not actually
bend like a hose or length of wire might. Light travels in a straight line.

The amount light will slow down and the degree it will change direction as it
enters the different medium is determined by the refractive index of the medium it
enters. Essentially the denser the medium, the greater the refractive index. For
instance, glass is denser than water, and water is denser than air. If light enters any
medium that has a higher refractive index, (such as from air into glass) it slows
down and changes direction towards the normal line. If light enters into a
substance with a lower refractive index (such as from water into air) it changes
direction away from the normal line.

What is the difference between reflection and refraction?

Reflection is the act of light reflecting back when it hits a medium on a


plane. Refraction is the process by which light shifts its path as it travels through a
material, causing the light to bend. Thus, this is the key difference between
reflection and refraction. This phenomenon usually occurs in mirrors.

What is Diffraction?
Diffraction is the spreading out of a wave when it passes through an aperture
(gap/hole) or around an object. The size of the aperture (or object) determines the
extent of diffraction, with the most significant diffraction occurring when the
aperture is of the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the wave

In the diagram the distance between the the lines is the wavelength of the wave.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Diffraction does not change the wavelength of the wave

A very simple demonstration of diffraction of waves can be conducted by


holding your hand in front of a light source and slowly closing two fingers while
observing the light transmitted between them. As the fingers approach each other
and come very close together, you begin to see a series of dark lines parallel to the
fingers. The parallel lines are actually diffraction patterns. This phenomenon can
also occur when light is “bent” around particles that are on the same order of
magnitude as the wavelength of the light.
What is the difference between diffraction and refraction of light?
Diffraction is the bending of light around an obstacle or through a gap.
Refraction is the bending of light as it moves from one medium to another. In
refraction, the speed and wavelength of light change.

references
https://archive.fleet.org.au/blog/reflection-absorption-refraction-diffraction-the-basics/
https://evidentscientific.com/en/microscope-resource/knowledge-hub/lightandcolor/diffraction
https://thescienceandmathszone.com/reflection-refraction-and-diffraction/

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