LIGHT

 Light is a form of energy that makes things visible to our eyes

 It is a form of electromagnetic energy that cause s6the sensation of vision

Phenomena of light
 Image formation by mirrors
 The twinking of stars
 The beautiful colours of rainbow
 Bending of light by medium is known as diffraction of light
 And many more

Properties of light
 Electromagnetic waves do not require any medium to travel.
 Light tends to travel in a straight line.
 Light has a dual nature (wave as well as particle).
 Light casts shadow
 The speed of light is maximum in vaccum .it is 3 x 108 ms-1

Rectilinear Propagation of Light –

Light travels in a straight line. A ray of light is the straight line along which light
travels, and a bundle of light rays is called a beam of light.
Incident Ray:
The incoming ray of light that strikes the surface is called the incident ray.
Reflected Ray: The ray that bounces off the surface is called the reflected ray.
Normal:
The imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence is
called the normal.
LAWS OF REFLECTION

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

 The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of
incidence all lie in the same plane.

Lateral Inversion – A phenomenon where an image appears reversed from left

to right.
This effect is commonly seen in mirrors, where your right hand appears as the
left hand in the mirror image.
Application : the word AMBULANCE is written in the reverse direction so that it
can be read correctly in the rear-view mirror of vehicles going in front.

LATERAL INVERSION
Difference between real and virtual image
Real image Virtual image
 Formed when light rays actually Formed when light rays appear to meet.
meet
 Can be obtained on screen Cannot be obtained on screen
 Inverted erect
 Eg: image formed on cinema screen Eg: image formed by plain mirror or convex
and formed by concave mirror mirror.
Plane mirror: A smooth and polished surface that reflects light uniformly.
Characterstics
 The image obtained is virtual.
 The image is laterally inverted.
 The image is erect.
 The size of the image is the same as the size of the object.
 The distance between the image obtained from the mirror is the same as the
distance between the object from the mirror.

Spherical mirrors
Mirrors whose reflection surface is curved
 Convex mirror
 Concave mirror

Properties of concave mirrors

 Reflecting surface is curved inwards.
 Converging mirror.

Properties of convex mirrors

 Reflecting surface is curved outwards.
 Diverging mirror.
 1. Pole (P) : The center point of the reflecting surface of a spherical mirror.
2. Aperture : it is the effective diameter of the spherical mirror.

3. Centre of Curvature (C) : The center of the sphere of which the

mirror's reflecting surface forms a part.

4. Radius of Curvature (R) :The radius of the sphere of which the mirror's
reflecting surface forms a part. R = 2f

5. Focus :the point on the principal axis where all the parallel light rays
actually meet or appear to meet after reflection.

6. Focal lenth:

7. Principal Axis : The straight line joining the pole and the center of
curvature of the mirror.

Ray Diagrams

i) A ray parallel to principal axis will pass through focus after reflection.
ii) A ray passing through the principal focus will become parallel to principal
axis after reflection

iii) A ray passing through center of curvature will follow the same path back
after reflection.

(iv) Ray incident at pole is reflected back making same angle with principal
axis.
CONCAVE MIRROR
CONVEX MIRROR
CONCAVE MIRROR
Uses of Concave Mirrors:
 Torches
 Search-lights
 Vehicle Headlights:
 Shaving Mirrors
 Dentist's Mirrors
 Solar Furnaces

CONVEX MIRROR
Uses of Convex Mirrors:
 Rear-View Mirrors in Vehicles: Preferred in vehicles as they provide erect but
diminished images.
 Have a wider field of view due to their outward curve.
 Allow drivers to see a larger area compared to plane mirrors.
 Street lights as they give a converge to give a better view.

Sign convention
 Object distance = always positive
 Focal length of concave mirror = Negative
 Focal length of convex mirror = Positive
 (i) The object is placed to the left of the mirror.
(ii) All distances parallel to the principal axis are measured from the pole of the mirror.
(iii) All distances measured in the direction of incident ray (along + X-axis) are taken as
positive and those measured against the direction of incident ray (along – X-axis)
are taken as negative.
(iv) Distance measured perpendicular to and above the principal axis are taken as
positive.
(v) Distances measured perpendicular to and below the principal axis are taken as
negative.

MIRROR FORMULA
The mirror formula relates the object distance (u), image distance (v), and focal length (f)
of a spherical mirror.
1 1 1
= +
f v u

MAGNIFICATION  h’ = positive (virtual images)

 h’ = negative (real images)
Formula  m = negative (real)
 m = positive (virtual)

It gives us information about the image in terms of how large or small is the image
formed.

REFRACTION OF LIGHT
The phenomenon of bending of ray of light when it enters from one medium to another.
The bending of a light ray during refraction occurs because of a change in the speed of
light as it passes from one medium to another with a different refractive index.
Incident Ray: The incoming ray of light in the first medium is called the incident ray.
Reflected Ray: The ray that bends as it enters the second medium is called the refracted
ray. Normal: The imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence is
called the normal.

CAUSES OF REFRACTION:
 When the light goes from air into water, it bends towards normal because there is a
reduction in its speed.
 When the light goes from water to air, it bends away from normal because there is
an increase in the speed of light.
 Rarer to denser medium (bends towards normal) Denser to rarer medium (bends
away from normal)

LAWS OF REFRACTION:
 The incident ray, refracted ray, and the normal to the interface of two media at the
point of incidence all lie on the same plane.
 The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is
a constant. This is also known as Snell’s law of refraction
 Snell’s law of refraction.
fomula

REFRACTIVE INDEX
Measure of how much light is bent or refracted when it enters a new medium. It is
denoted by the symbol "n."

n=

n21= Refractive index of medium 2

with respect to medium 1

nm = If medium 1 is vacuum or air, then the

refractive index of medium m is
considered with respect to vacuum. This is
called the absolute refractive index of the

REFRACTION THROUGH A RECTANGULAR GLASS SLAB

When an incident ray enters a glass slab from air, it bends towards the normal as it moves
from a rarer to a denser medium. After passing through the slab, the refracted ray bends
away from the normal as it exits back into air, forming an angle of emergence (e). The
emergent ray remains parallel to the incident ray, with the perpendicular distance
between them called lateral displacement. Light undergoes two refractions in a glass slab,
causing this displacement

LENSES
A transparent material bound by two surfaces, of which one or both surfaces are
spherical.
Types of lenses:
Convex (thicker in the middle, converging light rays) Concave (thinner in the middle,
diverging light rays).

Rules to obtain image

1. A ray of light from the object, parallel to the principal axis

2. A ray of light passing through a principal focus

iii) A ray of light passing through the optical centre of a lens

Convex Lens
Uses of Convex Lens:
 overhead projector camera
 focus sunlight
 simple telescope
 projector microscope
 magnifying glasses

Concave Lens
Uses of Concave Lens:
 spy holes in the doors
 glasses
 some telescopes

Important Formulas of Lens:

All measurements are taken from the optical centre of the lens.
focal length of a convex lens = positive, and that of a concave lens = negative.

Lens formula: Magnification:

Formula formula

Power of Lens: The ability of a lens to converge or diverge the ray of light after refraction
through it is called the power of the lens. It is defined as the reciprocal of focal length.
Formula

SI unit = Dioptre (D)

1 dioptre is the power of a lens whose focal length is 1 metre. 1D = 1m-.1
 power of a convex lens = positive
 power of concave lens = negative.