Properties of Light
bends away from the normal
Reflection
 when a wave strikes an object and
bounces off


 Normal-line perpendicular to the
reflecting surface.
 Incident ray/incoming ray-the ray that
hits the barrier/surface.
 Angle of incidence-angle formed by the
incident ray with the normal.
 Angle of reflection-angle formed by the
reflected ray with the normal.
Law of Reflection
 the angle of incidence equals the angle
of reflection
 The incident ray, reflected ray and the
normal lie on the same plane
Refraction
 Fiber Optics
-Total Internal Reflection
-when all light is reflected back into the
denser medium
 bending of waves when passing from
one medium to another
 caused by a change in speed
 slower (more dense)  refracted ray
bends toward the normal
 faster (less dense)  refracted ray

FASTER
Rainbows
 refraction-reflection-refraction
Diffraction
 bending of waves around a barrier
 depends on the wavelength and size of
the opening barrier.
Diffraction Gratings
 glass or plastic made up of many tiny
parallel slits
 may also be reflective
 spectroscopes, reflective rainbow
stickers, CD surfaces
Interference
 When two waves meets, they have an
effect with each other.
 constructive  when the crest
of one wave meet the crest of
the other one
 destructive  when the crest of
one wave meet the trough of the
other wave
  constructive  brighter light
 destructive  dimmer light
 Thin Films - Bubbles & Oil Slicks
 interference results from double
reflection
Polarization
surface is smooth. A sheet of paper
may be smooth as seen by the
naked eye, but at the microscopic
scale, a sheet of paper has an
irregular surface. As such, light will
undergo diffuse reflection; that is,
incident rays of light are reflected in
many directions.
 Seeing light from an object

 Is the property of certain types of waves

that describes the orientation of their
vibrations.
 EM has the capacity to undergo
polarization due to the dual nature of
light.
1. Linear polarized light waves
 Has an electric field that occurs
along a line.
2. Circularly polarized light
 If light is composed of 2 plane  The image of the real object seen in
waves of equal amplitude but the mirror is located where light
differing in phase by 90˚ reflected from the mirror to the eye
 Moves in a circle as it of the observer seems to originate.
approached you.  This perceived image is behind the
 Rotating counterclockwise: right mirror and not on the surface of the
circularly polarized mirror.
 Clockwise: left circularly  Using the ray diagram, we find that
polarized light the image is exactly the same
3. Elliptically polarized light distance behind the plane mirror as
the object is in front of it.
TWO BASIC TYPES OF MIRRORS

PLANE MIRRORS

 are the common, it consist of a flat,

two dimensional surface that reflects
the light coming from or reflecting off
another object.
 The simplest mirror is a plane
mirror—a flat, reflective surface,
often consisting of a metal film
covered in glass.
 This obeys the law of reflection,
which states that “ the angle of
incidence equals the angle of
reflection.
 The Law of Reflection is strictly
observed when the reflecting

SPHERICAL MIRROR
 Is a second class of mirror in the form of
slice of a spherical surface. These
mirrors are called spherical because if
you take a sphere and cut it then polish
the inside of one and the outside of the
other, you will get a concave mirror and
convex mirror.
Qualitative analysis of curved mirrors

• A curved mirror is cut from a spherically

shaped piece of glass backed by a
metal film.

Features of a concave and convex mirror 

a. Center of curvature (C) – the center of the Optic Mirrors and Lenses
circle of which the mirror represents a small arc.
Reflection
b. Focus (F) – the point where parallel light rays
converge; it is always found on the inner part of • We describe the path of light as straight-
the circle of which the mirror is a small arc. line rays

c. Vertex (V) – the point where the mirror • Reflection off a flat surface follows a
crosses the principal axis. simple rule:

d. Principal axis - a line drawn through the – angle in (incidence) equals

vertex, focus, and center of curvature of the angle out (reflection)
mirror upon which the object rests.
– angles measured from surface
e. Focal Length (f) – the distance from the “normal” (perpendicular)
focus to the vertex of the mirror.

f. Radius of curvature – the distance from the

center of curvature to the vertex of the mirror; it
corresponds to the radius of the circle.

Reflection of light in concave and convex mirror

Reflection Vocabulary

• Real Image –

– Image is made from “real” light

rays that converge at a real
focal point so the image is
REAL

– Can be projected onto a screen

because light actually passes
through the point where the
 image appears
 – Always inverted Curved mirrors

• Virtual Image– • What if the mirror isn’t flat?

– “Not Real” because it cannot be – light still follows the same rules,
projected with local surface normal

– Image only seems to be there! • Parabolic mirrors have exact focus

– used in telescopes, backyard

satellite dishes, etc.

– also forms virtual image

Concave

 Curves inward
 May be real or virtual image

For a real object between f and the mirror, a

virtual image is formed behind the mirror. The
 If light energy doesn't flow from the image is upright and larger than the object.
image, the image is "virtual".
 Rays seem to come from behind
the mirror, but, of course, they
don't. It is virtually as if the rays
were coming from behind the
mirror.
 "Virtually": the same as if
 As far as the eye-brain system is
concerned, the effect is the same
as would occur if the mirror were
absent and the chess piece were
actually located at the spot labeled For a real object between C and f, a real image
"virtual image". is formed outside of C. The image is inverted
and larger than the object.
Hall Mirror

• Useful to think in terms of images

For a real object at C, the real image is formed

at C. The image is inverted and the same size
as the object.

LEFT- RIGHT REVERSAL

 • The “light slowing factor” is called the
index of refraction

– glass has n = 1.52, meaning

that light travels about 1.5 times
slower in glass than in vacuum
For a real object close to the mirror but outside
of the center of curvature, the real image is – water has n = 1.33
formed between C and f. The image is inverted
– air has n = 1.00028
and smaller than the object.
– vacuum is n = 1.00000 (speed
of light at full capacity)

Refraction at a plane surface

• Light bends at interface between

refractive indices
What size image is formed if the real object is
placed at the focal point f? – bends more the larger the
difference in refractive index

For a real object at f, no image is formed. The

reflected rays are parallel and never converge.

Convex Mirrors Convex Lenses

 Curves outward Thicker in the center than edges.
 Reduces images
 Virtual images – Lens that converges (brings
 Use: Rear view mirrors, store security… together) light rays.
 CAUTION! Objects are closer than they
appear! – Forms real images and virtual
images depending on position of
Refraction the object

• Light also goes through some things Concave Lenses

– glass, water, eyeball, air • Lenses that are thicker at the edges and
thinner in the center.
• The presence of material slows light’s
progress – Diverges light rays

– interactions with electrical – All images are

properties of atoms erect and reduced.

How You See

 • Near Sighted – Eyeball is too long and
image focuses in front of the retina
• Near Sightedness –
Concave lenses expand
focal length
• Far Sighted – Eyeball is too short so
image is focused behind the retina.
• Far Sightedness –
Convex lense shortens
the focal length.
Laser and Fiber Optics
The concept of laser
was introduced by Charles Townes in 1951.
He was focused not on light but
on how he will be able to generate extremely
short radio waves or long wavelength infrared
waves that could be used to investigate the
structure and behaviors of molecules.
How can laser helpful in treating eye problems?
- Through indirect application of laser can repair
detached retinas.
Holograms – is a physical structure that
diffracts light into an image. The term “hologram”
can refer to both the encoded material and the
resulting image
As the laser hits the beam splitter, it is split in
two. The object beam heads towards the object
of interest, while the reference beam heads
toward a mirror. The beams are identical until
the object beam shines on the object. Some of
the light is absorbed while some is reflected
toward the film
After reflecting off the mirror, the reference
beam is reunited with the object beam on the
film. Because one beam interacted with the
object and the other did not, the two beams will
be out of phase and interfere with one another.
This interference pattern is imprinted upon the
holographic film plate, creating the holographic
image.
This pattern records the
intensity distribution of the reflected light just as
an ordinary camera does. When viewed in
coherent light, the object appears in 3D and
viewing a hologram from different angles will
reveal the object from different angles.
FIBER OPTICS
An optical fiber is a thin, transparent fiber that is
usually made of glass or plastic and is used for
transmitting light. Optical fibers are usually
thinner than human hair.
The basic functional structure of an optical fiber
consists of an outer protective cladding and an
inner core through which light pulses travel.
Refraction of Light
- Is the bending of light as it passes from
one medium to another.
- The ratio of velocities of light as it
passes from a vacuum into another
medium is the index of refraction (n).
Refraction
- caused by a change in speed
SLOWER
 3. Calculate the speed of light in olive oil, if the
index of refraction of olive oil is 1.48.

4. What is the index of refraction of a liquid in

which the light travels at 2.04x108 m/s?
FASTER
5. What is the speed of light in crown glass if its
index of refraction is 1.52?

FORMULA:

n = c/v v = c/n

WHERE:

n ; index of refraction

c; speed of light in a vacuum

(3x108 m/s ) constant

v; speed of light in another medium

What is the speed of light in water given that

water has a refractive index of 1.33?

v = c/n

v = 3x108 m/s

1.33

v = 2.26 x 10 8 m/s

Find the speed of light in the following materials.

1. The speed of light in a sodium chloride is

1.96x108 m/s. Find its index of refraction.

2. The speed of light in a sample of glass is

1.51x108 m/s. What is the refractive index of this
glass?