Geometrical Optics

Reflection and Refraction of Light

Thoughts about light:

Gen. 1:3 -> And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light.
Love is not consolation! It is light.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the
revelation.
~James Turrell
Darkness is the absence of light.

OPTICS

Optics is the study of light and vision.

Human vision requires light, specifically what we

call visible light.

Visible light any radiation in or near the visible

region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Wave Fronts and Rays

Wave front line or surface defined by adjacent

portions of a wave that are in phase, such as
those along wave crests or troughs.

Wave Fronts and Rays

A line perpendicular to a wave front in the

direction of the waves propagation is called a
ray.

The wave form is a spherical surface rather

than a circle.

Rays point at the direction of the energy flow

of a wave.

Reflection

The reflection of light is an optical phenomenon

of enormous importance if light were not
reflected to our eyes by objects around us, we
wouldnt see them at all.

Reflection involves the absorption and re-emission

of light by means of complex electromagnetic
vibrations in the atoms of the reflecting medium.

A light ray incident on a surface is

described by an angle of incidence
(i). This angle is measured relative
to a line perpendicular, or normal,
to the reflecting surface, a line
commonly referred to as a normal.

Similarly, the reflected ray is

described by an angle of reflection
(r). The relationship between these
angles is given by the law of
reflection.

The Law of Reflection

According to the law of reflection, the angle of

incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
relative to the normal.

When a light beam is

reflected from a smooth
surface and the reflected
rays are parallel, the
reflection is said to be Reflected rays from a
regular or specular.
relatively rough surface
are not parallel; the
reflection is said to be
irregular or diffuse.

Incoming or incident light waves hit the mirror and reflect off the mirror
according to the law of reflection

If we extend the paths of the reflected rays through the back of the mirror
and beyond, the lines meet at a single point behind the mirror. This point is
called the mirrors image.

This image, known as a

virtual image, is what
you see when you look
at yourself in an
ordinary mirror.

The image is called

virtual because the
image appears to be
behind the mirror, even
though no light actually
reaches behind the
mirror.

When we look at an object in a mirror, our eyes intercept only the rays
reflected from it. Our brains interpret them as an image of the object behind
the mirror.

Notice that for a flat mirror, the distance between the image and the mirror
known as the image distance (Si) is the same as the distance between the
object being reflected by the mirror known as the object distance (So)

Conceptual Example

When you see the Sun or Moon over a lake, sea or ocean,
you often observe a long swath of light that is sometimes
called a glitter path. This reflection is seen when

A. the surface of the water is disturbed by waves or ripples

B. the reflection from the water surface is diffuse reflection

C. the water surface is particularly smooth

When following an 18-wheeler truck, you may see a sign

on the back stating If you cant see my mirror, I cant see
you. What does it mean?

Refraction

Refraction refers to the change in

direction of a wave at a boundary
where the wave passes from one
medium into another.

When a wave is incident on a boundary

between media, some of its energy is
reflected and some is transmitted.

Refraction is the change in direction of a wave passing from one

medium to another caused by its change in speed.

Refraction occurs as light passes from one medium

to another only when there is a difference in
the index of refraction between the two materials.
The effects of refraction are responsible for a variety
of familiar phenomena, such as the apparent
bending of an object that is partially submerged in
water and the mirages observed on a dry, sandy
desert.
The refraction of visible light is also an important
characteristic of lenses that enables them to focus a
beam of light onto a single point.

Snells Law

Named after Willebord Snell (1591-1926)

sin 1 = v1t/d and sin 2 = v2t/d

Combining the two equations yields

sin 1
sin 2

1
2

Index of Refraction (n)

Light is refracted when passing from one medium into

another because the speed of light is different in the two
media. The speed of light is greatest in vacuum, it is
convenient to compare the speed of light in other media
to this constant value.

n=c/v

where c speed of light in vacuum

v speed of light in medium

Indices of Refraction at = 590 nm

Substance

Air

1.00029

Water

1.33

Ethyl Alcohol

1.36

Fused Quartz

1.46

Glycerine

1.47

Polystyrene

1.49

Oil (typical value)

1.50

Glass (by type)

1.45 1.70

Glass - Crown

1.52

Glass - flint

1.66

Zircon

1.92

Diamond

2.42

Example
1. What is the speed of light in water? (nwater = 1.33)
2. The speed of light in a particular liquid is 2.4E8
m/s. What is the index of refraction of the liquid?
3. Light in air is incident on a piece of crown glass
at an angle of 37o (relative to the normal). What is
the angle of refraction in the glass? (nair = 1, ncrown
glass = 1.52)

Challenge Problem

A beam of light travelling in air strikes the plate-glass top of a coffee table at an angle of
incidence of 45o. The glass has an index of refraction of 1.5.

A) What is the angle of refraction for the light transmitted in the glass?

B) If the glass plate is 2cm thick, what is the lateral distance between the point where the
ray enters the glass and the point here it emerges.

C) Prove that the emergent beam is parallel to the incident beam.

Problem Set
REFLECTION
1)

The angle of incidence of a light ray on a mirrored surface is 35o. What is the angle between the incident and
reflected rays?

2)

A beam of light is incident on a plane mirror at an angle of 43o relative to the mirror surface. What is the
angle between the reflected ray and the normal?

3)

Two people stand 3.0m in front of a large mirror and spaced 5.0m apart in a dark room. At what angle of
incidence should one of them shine a flashlight on the mirror so that the reflected beam directly strikes the
other person?

REFRACTION
4)

Is the speed of light greater in diamond or in zircon? Express the difference as a percentage.

5)

Light passes from air into water. If the angle of refraction is 20o, what is the angle of incidence?

6)

A beam of light in air is incident on the surface of a slab of fused quartz. Part of the beam is transmitted into
the quartz at an angle of refraction of 30o relative to a normal surface, and part is reflected. What is the
angle of reflection?