Ray Optics and Optical Instruments

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. Write an expression for reflection by a spherical mirror.

2. What is the unit of power of a lens?
3. When light goes from one medium to another, refraction occurs. Why?
4. Which parameter related to light doesn’t change when it goes from one medium to the other?
5. Two solutions A and B have refractive indices 1.36 and 1.54 respectively. Which one is optically denser?
6. The Line segment PQ represents a lens in following ray diagram. Predict what kind of lens is it.

7. A light ray after passing through a concave lens becomes parallel to principal axis. Represent this using a
suitable ray diagram.
8. Write an expression for the focal length for a thin lens in terms of refractive index and radii of curvature.
9. A lens is submerged in a liquid of refractive index less than that of the lens. What would be the effect on nature
and focal length of the lens?
10. An air bubble inside water will behave like what kind of lens?
11. In which situation a lens submerged in a transparent liquid will become invisible?
12. If a lens of flint glass is submerged in carbon disulphide, then what will be the effect on its focal length?
13. Write the expression relation focal length and power of a lens.
14. A concave lens has focal length 5 cm. What will be its power?
15. Write the focal length and power of a plane glass sheet.
16. Write an expression for the combined power of thin lenses placed in contact.
17. Two lenses one convex and one concave are placed in contact. Predict the situations in which this combination
will behave like a:
a. Converging lens b. Diverging lens
18. Two lenses of same focal lengths, one convex and other concave are placed in contact. What will be the power
of the combination?
19. What kind of lens is used for the correction of short – sightedness?
20. What kind of lens is used for the correction of long – sightedness?
21. To read comfortably a man has to put book 35 cm away from his eyes. Predict which eye defect he has? Also
state how it can be corrected.
22. A man can’t see object beyond 1m distance from his eyes. Which eye defect he is suffering from? Show how it
can be corrected.
23. Define magnifying power.
24. Write formula for the magnifying power of a compound microscope when final image is formed at least distance
of distinct vision.
25. Write formula for the magnifying power of a compound microscope when final image is formed at infinity.
26. Should the focal length of eyepiece be more or less than that of the objective to increase the magnifying power
of compound microscope?
27. Write formula for the magnifying power of astronomical telescope.
28. Write formula for the length of astronomical telescope.
29. Final image is obtained at infinity by an astronomical telescope; write the formula for its magnifying power.

Short Answer Type Questions – I

1. The refractive index of water with respect to air is 1.33 and that of benzene with respect to air is 1.5. Find the
refractive index of benzene with respect to water.
2. Light enters from air to water of refractive index 1.33. Calculate the speed of light in water. Given that speed of
light in air is 3.0 x 108 m/s.
3. White light when passed through a hollow prism doesn’t give any spectrum. Why?
4. State the condition of minimum deviation by a prism.
5. Write the formula for the refractive index of the material of a prism in terms of angle of prim and angle of
deviation.
6. Mention the factors on which the angle of deviation by a prism depends on.
7. A magician while showing tricks makes a glass prism (µ=1.47) disappear by submerging it into a liquid. What is
the refractive index of the liquid? Can this liquid be water?
8. Write the formula for refraction through a single spherical surface.
9. In the following diagram which point can be the optical centre of the shown lens?

10. A convex lens of focal length 30 cm is placed in contact with a concave lens of focal length 20 cm. What is the
focal length of the combination? Is the combination converging or diverging? Ignore the thickness of lenses.
11. Using glass of refractive index 1.55 a biconvex lens having same radius of curvature for both sides has to be
made. If the focal length is set to be 20 cm. What will be the desired radius of curvature?
12. A Plano – convex lens has focal length 40 cm. The refractive index of its material is 1.5. Find the radius of
curvature.
13. A biconvex lens has radii of curvature 10 cm and 15 cm. The lens has a focal length 12 cm. Find the refractive
index of the material of lens.
14. The lens shown in the figure has radius of curvature 20 cm for both sides. The refractive index of its material
3
is . Find its focal length if it is cut along:
2
 a. Plane AB
b. Plane KM

15. A glass (µ = 1.5) biconvex lens has radii of curvature in the ratio 1:2. A divergent beam of light coming from a
filament 6 cm away is made parallel by it. Find the radii of curvature of its surfaces.
16. A biconvex lens made of glass (µ=1.5) has radius of curvature 20 cm for both sides. Find its nature and focal
length if it is submerged in a liquid of refractive index 1.75.
17. A real image is formed at a distance of 20 cm from a lens. When another lens is placed in its contact the image
shifts 10 cm towards the combination. Find the power of the second lens.
18. A convex lens has a focal length of 20 cm. How far should it be placed from an object so that image on the
screen is 2.5 times in size as that of the object?
19. A real image is formed at a distance of 10 cm from the lens. If another lens is placed in contact with the first lens
then the image is formed at a distance of 15 cm. Find the focal length of the second lens.
20. What do you mean by the power of the lens? What is the relation between power and focal length? Also write
its unit.
21. Two thin lenses whose powers are +3.5 D and -2.5 D are placed in contact. Find the power and focal length of
the combination.
22. A convex lens, whose focal length is 25 cm, is placed in contact with a concave lens. The combination works like
a converging lens of focal length 50 cm; find the power and focal length of the concave lens.
23. What do you mean by defects of vision? Describe its types and mechanism of their correction.
24. Write short notes on Astigmatism and Presbyopia.
25. A person suffering from long – sightedness can see up to a minimum distance of 0.50 m. Which kind of lens he
should use? Also find the focal length of the corrective lens.
26. A short sighted man can’t see objects beyond the distance of 30 cm from his eyes. To see object placed at
infinity, what kind of lens should he use? What is the focal length and power of required lens?
27. A man can read a book placed 20 cm away, if the book is placed at a distance of 30 cm, he has to use spectacles.
Calculate:
a. Focal length of the lenses used in b. Nature of lenses used.
spectacles.
28. A small telescope has focal length of objective equal to 144 cm and that of eyepiece equal to 6 cm. What is the
magnifying power of telescope? What is the length of telescope?
29. The diameter of the Sun is 1.4 x 109 m. find the diameter of the image of the sun formed by convex lens of focal
length 1.0 m. The distance between the Sun and the Earth is 1.0 x 1011 m.
30. The magnifying power of a simple microscope is 1.5. If final image is formed at 25 cm, then find the focal length
of the lens used.
31. The magnifying power of a telescope made using a 80 cm tube is 15. Find the focal lengths of objective and
eyepiece.
 Short Answer Type Questions – II

1. A candle of 2.5 cm height is placed at a distance of 27 cm from a concave mirror of radius of curvature 36 cm.
Where the screen should be placed so that a clear image is formed on it? Predict the nature and size of the
image. If candle is moved towards mirror, then where the screen should be moved?
2. A beaker is filled with water up to a height of 12.5 cm. By using a travelling microscope apparent depth of a
needle placed on its bottom is found to be 9.4 cm. What is the refractive index of water? If beaker is filled with a
liquid of refractive index 1.63 up to the same height, then how much high/low the microscope should be
adjusted to get the clear image of needle?
3. A small bulb is placed at the bottom of tank filled with water up to a height of 80 cm. Find the area of circle of
illuminance. Given that the refractive index of water is 1.33.
4. What do you mean by total internal reflection? A light ray after passing though glass (µ = 1.5) strikes glass – air
interface at critical angle. If glass – air interface is covered with a layer of water (µ = 1.33) then find the angle of
emergence of the ray in air.
5. What do you mean by total internal reflection? Explain using a ray – diagram. State the necessary requirements
for total internal reflection.
6. A prism is made of glass of unknown refractive index. A parallel beam of light is incident on one of its surfaces
and the angle of minimum deviation is observed to be 40°. Find the refractive index of the material of the prism.
(Prism Angle is 60°) If Prism is submerged in water (µ = 1.33) then find the angle of minimum deviation for
parallel beam of light. [ sin−1 0.575 = 35.1° ].
7. The radius of curvature of the spherical surface in the following figure is 2 cm and the refractive index of the
glass is 1.5. Find the value of v.

8. If a lens made of glass (µ = 1.5) is submerged in water (µ = 1.33), then what will be the effect on nature and focal
length of the lens?
9. The refractive index of glass with respect to air is 1.5 and that of water with respect o air is 1.33. A biconvex lens
has radii of curvature 20 cm and 30 cm. Find the focal length of the lens:
a. In air. b. In water.
10. A thin convex lens of focal length 60 cm is placed in contact with a thin concave lens of focal length 30 cm. Find
the focal length, power and nature of the combination.
11. Two thin lenses having focal length 25 cm and both are convex are placed in contact. An object is placed 15 cm
away from these. What will be the distance between object and its image?
12. A convex lens and a concave lens are placed on optical bench on markings 40.0 cm and 60.0 cm respectively.
Their focal lengths are 15 cm and 40 cm respectively. If a point source of light is placed at the marking 10.0 cm
on the optical bench, then find the position of the Final image on the optical bench.
13. Explain the dispersion of white light by a prism using a ray diagram. What is reason behind dispersion? On what
factors does the angular dispersion of a prism depend?
14. Due to short – sightedness the far point of a person’s left eye is at 2 m and near – point for the right eye is at
0.75 m due to long – sightedness. Find the powers of lenses used for correction of vision.
15. Using an objective of focal length 1.25 cm and eyepiece of focal length 5 cm, the desired angular magnification is
30X. How will you adjust the microscope?
16. The focal lengths of the objective and the eyepiece of a microscope are 1 cm and 5 cm respectively. An object is
placed 1.1 cm away from the objective. Find the magnifying power and the distance between the lenses when
the final image is formed at :
a. Infinity b. The least distance of distinct vision (25
cm).
17. An astronomical telescope has objective and eye piece of focal lengths 2.0 m and 0.05 m respectively. Find the
magnifying power of telescope when final image is formed at:
a. Infinity
b. Least distance of distinct vision. Also predict the nature of image.

18. Explain ‘Limit of Resolution’ and ‘Resolving Power’ with reference to optical instruments. Write formulae for
resolving power of telescope and microscope and explain how can their resolving power be increased?

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Explain the deviation and dispersion of light by a prism and deduce the formula for the refractive index of the
material of the prism.
2. Derive the formula for refraction at spherical surfaces for :
a. Concave Spherical Surface
b. Convex Spherical Surface
3. Derive Lens Maker’s formula and thin lens formula.
4. Draw a neat labeled diagram of human eye. With the use of suitable ray – diagrams, explain the reasons and
corrections of :
a. Short – sightedness
b. Long – sightedness.
𝑓 𝑓
5. Prove that the effective focal length of two thin lenses placed in contact will be𝐹 = 𝑓 1+ 𝑓2 ; where 𝑓1 & 𝑓2 are
1 2
focal lengths of individual lenses.
6. Draw ray diagram for compound microscope and derive an expression for its magnifying power.
7. Draw ray diagram for refracting type astronomical telescope and derive an expression for its magnifying power.
8. Draw ray – diagram for reflecting type astronomical telescope and state its advantages over refracting type
telescope.

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Compiled By:
Vibhor Kaushik
9634176761