SHS

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Quarter 2 – Week 3
Module 3: Propagation of
Light, Reflection and
Refraction
Physical Science
Grade 11/12 Quarter 2 - Module 3: Propagation of Light, Reflection and
Refraction
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: JOHN-JOHN Q. GARCIA, T-III

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, PhD

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, PhD, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, PhD, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Rominel S. Sobremonte, Ed.D., EPS in Charge of

Science Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

 Physical Science
Quarter 2 – Week 3
Module 3: Propagation of
Light, Reflection and
Refraction
 Target

Scientists regard light as having dual nature, both particle and

wave. Reflection and refraction are behaviors of light that can be
explained by both particle and wave models. Like any waves, light has
wavelength, frequency, speed, and energy. The three quantities -
wavelength, frequency, and speed - are related to one another and are
still valid even when light is treated as particle. This dual nature is not
only confined to light. Even particles such as electrons can also have
particle- and wave-like properties.

In the previous lesson, you have learned about Aristotle’s and

Galileo’s conceptions of motion. Aristotle explained the motion of objects
through logic. Galileo challenged the Aristotelian views of motion through
mathematical relationships and experiments. It was also discussed to
you that Galileo inferred that objects in vacuum fall with uniform
acceleration, and that force is not necessary to sustain horizontal motion.
You have also learned about the different laws of motion formulated by
Sir Isaac Newton and the subtle distinction between Newton’s 1st Law of
Motion (or Law of Inertia) and Galileo’s assertion that force is not
necessary to sustain horizontal motion.

In this lesson, you will study how the propagation of light,

reflection, and refraction are explained by the wave model and the
particle model of light and how the photon concept and the fact that the
energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. describe how the propagation of light, reflection, and refraction are

explained by the wave model and the particle model of light (S11/12PS- IVf-
59); and
2. explain how the photon concept and the fact that the energy of a photon
is directly proportional to its frequency can be used to explain why red
light is used in photographic dark rooms, why we get easily sunburned
in ultraviolet light but not in visible light, and how we see colors
(S11/12PS-IVf-61)

Before going on, check how much you know about this topic. Do the
activity on the next page in a separate sheet of paper.

4
 Jumpstart

For you to understand the lesson well, do the following activities.

Have fun and good luck!

Activity 1: FIND ME!

Directions. Encircle the 10 words listed below. Words may appear straight across,
back-word straight across, up, and down. Use a separate sheet of paper for your
answers.
REFLECTION REFRACTION
SPECULAR DIFFUSE
PARTICLE WAVE
FREQUENCY ENERGY
RENE DESCARTES ISAAC NEWTON
Activity 2: Identify Me!

Directions: Based on your answers in Activity 1, identify correctly what is being

asked in the following questions below. Use a separate sheet of paper for your
answers.

1. It explains how light bends (or diffracts) around an object.

2. It is the bouncing of light when it reaches a reflecting surface or the boundary

between two media.
3. The amount of energy that light contains in joules.
4. He conducted an experiment that involves prism and observed that the red
light refracted the least, whereas the violet light refracted the most.

5. It occurs when parallel rays of light hit a smooth surface and is reflected
uniformly or regularly.
6. It is the bending of light due to the change in its speed when it obliquely passes
two different media.
7. The number of complete wavelength passing through a point per unit of time
and its unit is s¯¹ or hertz (Hz.
8. He studied and explained the concept of refraction with the assumption that
light is a wave.
9. This model explains how light travels in straight lines.
10. It occurs when parallel beam of light strike uneven or coarse surfaces.

Discover

General Behavior of Light

Reflection and refraction are some of the behaviors of light that can be
explained by both particle and wave models.

Like water and sound waves, light is reflected. Reflection is the bouncing
of light when it reaches a reflecting surface or the boundary between two
media. The part of the light coming from source that passes through a medium,
such as a glass pane, is absorbed or scattered. The rest of the light that strikes
the boundary of the medium is partially reflected and transmitted. The amount
of reflected light depends on factors such as the kind of medium the object is
made of, the texture of the surface of the medium, and the angle at which the
light strikes the surface of the medium.
What happens to the light ray as they strike a smooth and shiny surface,
like that of a mirror? When a light ray is reflected, it bounces off the surface. As
shown in figure 1, the line LN represents the reflecting surface; AM is the ray of
incident light on the reflecting surface at M; MB is the direction of the reflected
ray from M; the normal CM is the line drawn perpendicular to LN at M; angle
AMC is the angle of incidence, θᵢ, which is the angle between the incident ray and
the normal CM; and angle CMB is the angle of reflection, θᵣ, which is the angle
between the reflected ray and the normal CM.
C
A B
incident ray reflected ray
angle of angle of
incidence reflection
θᵢ θᵣ

L M N
Figure 1. Diagram of a reflected light

Sample Problem 1
If the angle between the mirror and the incident ray is 25º, what is the
angle of reflection?

Solution
If the angle between the mirror and incident ray is 25º, then the angle of
incidence must be 65º. So, the angle of reflection must be 65º.

Two types of Reflection

1. Specular reflection occurs when parallel rays of light hit a smooth surface
and is reflected uniformly or regularly. You can see yourself in the mirror
because of specular reflection.
2. Diffuse reflection occurs when parallel beam of light strike uneven or
coarse surfaces. Light reflected through diffuse reflection allows us to see
most objects around us.

Figure 2. Specular Figure 3. Diffuse

 When light passes obliquely from one medium to another medium or
different density, or when it passes through different layers or varying densities
within the same medium, such as Earth’s atmosphere, its path is bent from a
straight line at the boundary of the medium where the density changes. This
phenomenon is called refraction. It is a manifestation of the fact that the speed
of light slows down upon entering a denser medium, and speeds up when it
passes through a less dense medium.
A straw dipped obliquely in water appears bent at the
surface of the water as shown in figure 4. A person aiming a riffle
at a target assumes that light travels in a straight line. This is
true only if the light is transmitted by a medium of uniform
optical density – a property of transparent material that is an
inverse measure of the speed of light through the material.
Figure 4. Refraction of
light causes a straw
dipped in water to
appear bent.
Laws of Refraction
Figure 5 shows how a ray of light bends abruptly at the boundary of two
media of different optical densities. Let us assume that the first medium is air
and the second medium is water, which has a larger optical density than air. The
normal to the surface at the point hit by the incident ray is drawn. As in the case
of refraction, the angle made by the incident ray with the normal is the angle of
incidence (θᵢ), and the angle made by the refracted ray with the same normal is
the angle of refraction (θᵣ). The refracted ray is bent toward the normal.
Conversely, when the optical density of the first medium is more than that of the
second medium, the refracted ray is bent away from the normal.

normal normal
incident ray refracted ray

θᵢ θᵣ

air air
water water

θᵣ θᵢ

refracted ray incident ray

Figure 5. Bending of light rays between two media with different optical densities

The laws of refraction can then be stated as follows:

1. When a ray of light passes obliquely from a medium of lower optical
density (air) to one of greater optical density (water), it is bent toward
the normal. When a ray of light passes obliquely from a medium of
greater optical density to one of lower optical density, it is refracted
away from the normal.
2. At the point of incidence, the incident ray, the refracted ray, and the
 normal lie in the same plane.
3. The index of refraction is independent of the angle of incidence, and is
constant for any homogeneous medium. The refractive index of a
material, n, is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum, c, and the
speed of light in that material, v: n=c/v. Note that c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s
and v is a value of speed that is always lower than c. Thus, n is always
greater than 1.

Dual Nature of Light

Light has a dual nature, sometimes it behaves like a particle (called a

photon), which explains how light travels in straight lines and sometimes it
behaves like a wave, which explains how light bends (or diffracts) around an
object.
René Descartes and Isaac Newton were the two scientists who studied the
behavior of light. They conducted experiments using a prism separately to
explain the emergence of the colors of light. Descartes subscribed to wave model,
whereas Newton subscribed to particle model. Christiaan Huygens would later
have wave model that was quite different from that of Descartes.

1. Particle Model
 In an experiment conducted by Isaac Newton (1643–1727) that
involves prism, he observed that the red light refracted the least,
whereas the violet light refracted the most. According to Newton,
this difference in refraction occurred due to the differences in the
mass of the colors of light. He also proposed the corpuscular theory
of light, which states that light was composed of tiny particles called
corpuscles that travel in straight line and can travel through a
vacuum.
 Violet corpuscles are the least massive and deflected the most
while red light corpuscles are the most massive and deflected the
least, whereas violet corpuscles are the least massive and deflected
the most.
 Reflection was explained as the bouncing of light corpuscles on a
surface similar to a ball. Corpuscles traveling side-by-side would hit
the reflecting surface at different times, causing reversal of image.
 Refraction was explained by the presence of a force at the interface
of two media. This force was directed toward the medium with
higher refractive index and could deflect the path of corpuscles.
 Figure 6. Reflection and Refraction according to particle model

2. Wave Model
A. René Descartes (1596-1650)
 He studied and explained the concept of refraction with the
assumption that light is a wave. In one of his experiments, he
produced a rainbow by using a water-filled glass sphere and
sunlight. He explained that refraction of light caused the
formation of rainbows.
 He studied the refraction and emergence of colors of light in a
prism. Based on his study, he observed that the different colors
of light are refracted at varying degrees and also noted that the
red light refracted more than the violet light.
 He also explained the wave nature of light using the concept of
the plenum, an invisible substance occupying all space not
occupied by matter. This plenum was made of small spherical
particles that rotate with the same speed and he thought that
light was a disturbance traveling through the plenum.
 Descartes noted that when these particles passed through the
prism and encountered a slit on the edge, their rotational speed
would change. The different colors seen are due to the different
rotational speeds of the plenum particles.

B. Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695)

 He proposed a wave model that was different from that of
Descartes. Huygen’s light is that of a longitudinal wave in which
the medium moves in the same line as the wave.
 Light travels through aether, which, like plenum, also
encompasses all space unoccupied by any other particle. This is
the same aether that, according to ancient Greeks, is the
element that constitutes the stars and planets as well as the
celestial spheres on which they are mounted.
 Reflection was the bouncing of light waves on reflecting surface
or a material it cannot pass through, similar to the echo of sound
 and ocean waves bouncing on a cliff. The waves turn back and
produce a reverse image.
 Refraction was due to the difference in the speed of wave in two
different media.

Figure 7. Reflection and Refraction according to Wave Model

Other scientists like Thomas Young, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert
Einstein also conducted experiments and explained the dual nature of light.
Today, scientists accept that light is both a wave and a particle as it has the
attributes of both; this is called the wave-particle duality.

Frequency and Energy of Photons

Frequency (f) is the number of complete wavelength passing through a

point per unit of time and its unit is s¯¹ or hertz (Hz). Energy (E) is the amount of
energy that light contains in joules. Electromagnetic waves with shorter
wavelength and higher frequency have higher energy than those with longer
wavelength and lower frequency.
In an atom, electrons occupy states called energy levels. You can visualize
the energy levels as circular orbits around the nucleus. Energy levels have values
n = 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on, with 1 being the closest to the nucleus. Electrons can
occupy only the energy levels. They cannot be in a position that is between two
energy levels. When an electron absorbs energy, it jumps to a higher energy level.
The electron will eventually (after about 10¯⁸ s) return to its lower state and
release light in the process. When electrons absorb energy (heat or electrical
energy) from another source, they may release light as they return to ground
state. Some materials have reflective surfaces. Reflection happens when the
electrons on the surface of a material absorb light, go to a higher energy level,
return to ground state, and release light. The light released may or may not be
of the same energy or wavelength as the light absorbed; some energy are
converted to kinetic energy of the molecule or used in a chemical reaction.
The emission of light is not a continuous event. Each electron returning to
a lower energy level releases light that can be considered a single photon in the
particle model. The emitted photon has possible discrete values for energy since
the energy levels an electron may occupy are also discrete. Low-energy photons
correspond to low-energy light such as red and high-energy photons correspond
to high-energy light such as violet.
The frequency of a photon is proportional to its energy; the same principle
that holds in the wave model of light. In the particle model, the energy E of an
individual photon can be determined from its frequency:
E = hf
where h is the Planck’s constant (derived by Max Planck, 1858–1947),
which is equal to 6.63 × 10¯³⁴ J·s, and f is the frequency of the photon.

Example:
What is the energy of an ultraviolet photon with frequency of 5.0 × 10¹⁵ Hz?
Solution:
Note that Hz is the same as s¯¹.
E = hf = (6.63 x 10¯³⁴ J.s)(5.0 x 10¹⁵ s¯¹) = 3.3 x 10¯¹⁸ J

Certain amount of light energy can be useful or harmful. Red photons are
useful for photographers using light-sensitive photographic papers because red
photons do not overexpose and ruin the pictures during the developing process.
The ultraviolet photons, with their higher energy, are likely to cause sunburn
than visible light.
Depending on the element, atoms have a tendency to absorb light of
certain wavelength and just let the other wavelengths pass through. They also
tend to release photons of certain amount of energy only due to discreteness of
energy levels. Thus, a light coming from a sample made purely of a certain
element can be seen through a prism as spectrum with black lines. This
spectrum is called atomic spectrum, which serves as unique signature of the
element. One technique in obtaining the atomic spectra involves transformation
of the element into its gaseous state. The light emitted by the electrons of the
element passes through several prisms. There are two types of atomic spectrum.
Absorption line spectrum is made of all the light except for those absorbed by the
atoms (seen as black). Emission line spectrum is made of the light released by
electrons returning to the ground state.
The emission line and absorption line of any given element are
complementary; the black lines in the absorption lines are the same parts where
the emission spectrum has existing colored lines.
 Explore

To master and strengthen the basic concepts you have learned from this lesson here are enrichment
activities for you to work on.

Enrichment Activity 1: “Complete Me!”

Direction: Complete the concept map using the words below. Use a separate sheet of
paper for your answers.

Light

Behavior Models

(1) (2) (3) (6)

(4) (7) (9)

(5) (8) (10)

Isaac Newton Reflection Particle Rene

Descartes

Refraction Wave Christiaan Huygens Plenum

Enrichment Activity 2: Draw Me! Explain Me!

Direction: Illustrate an example of a particle and a wave. Explain your illustrations

in not less than 3 sentences correctly. Use a separate sheet of paper for your
answers.

1. Draw an example of how light travels as a particle.

2. Draw an example of how light travels as a wave.

Excellent job! You have understood the lesson.

Are you now ready to summarize?
 Deepen

“Investigate like Detective Conan”

Isaac Newton suggested that a beam of light consisted of tiny particles called
corpuscles traveling at enormous speed. He argued that is theory explained why
light travels in straight lines and cast shadows. Christiaan Huygens, in contrast,
believed that light traveled as waves. This accounts for the splitting of white light
into spectrum of colors as it is refracted through a prism.
Explore for yourself how Newton and Huygens proved their respective theories.
Do the following activities at home and come up with your own interpretation.

Materials
hose with water 2 flashlights

Procedure
1. Turn on two water hoses. Aim the stream of water from one hose across the
path of the stream of water from the other hose. Observe what happens to the
stream of water from the second hose.
2. Darken a room and flash a beam of light on the wall. Shine another flashlight
beam across the first beam in the same way you did the stream of water in
step 1. Observe any effect it has on the light on the wall.

Guide Questions

1. Did the two streams of water particles act in the same way that the two beams
of light did? Explain your answer.

2. Did the activity support a wave or particle theory of light?

Conclusion
 Rubric for Experiment

Criteria Exceptional (5) Satisfactory (3) Striving (1)

Content Used accurate and Used accurate and Used inaccurate
sufficient scientific insufficient and insufficient
information scientific scientific
information information
Knowledge/ Demonstrated a Used knowledge Use little relevant
Understanding depth of with only minor information
understanding by inaccuracies
using relevant and
accurate details to
support the output
Presentation/ Presented all ideas Presented one or Lacked logical and
Organization logically and two unclear ideas clear ideas
clearly
Data analysis Data are presented Data are Data are
in ways (charts, presented in ways presented in ways
tables, graphs) (charts, (charts, tables,
that best facilitate tables, graphs) graphs) that are
understanding and that can very unclear.
interpretation. be understood Error analysis is
Error analysis is and not included.
included. interpreted,
although not as
clearly as they
might be. Error
analysis is
included.
Evaluation of The results are The results are The results are
experiment fully interpreted interpreted and not interpreted in
and compared compared with a logical way or
with literature literature values, compared with
values. The but not as fully as literature values.
limitations they might be. The The limitations
and weaknesses limitations and and weaknesses
are discussed and weaknesses are are not discussed,
suggestions are discussed, but few nor are
made as to how to or no suggestions suggestions made
limit or eliminate are made as to as to how to limit
them. how to limit or or eliminate them.
eliminate them.
 Gauge

Direction: Read carefully each item. Write only the letter of the best answer
for each test item. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.
1. Which of the following refers to the bouncing of light when it reaches a
reflecting surface or the boundary between two media?
A. Absorption B. Dispersion C. Reflection D. Refraction

2. Which of the following refers to the bending of light due to the change in its
speed when it obliquely passes two different media?
A. Absorption B. Dispersion C. Reflection D. Refraction

3. What happens to light when it hits a car’s side mirror?

A. Light is dispersed. C. Light is refracted.
B. Light is reflected. D. Light is transmitted.

4. The best mirrors form what kind of reflection?

A. Diffuse reflection C. Refractive reflection
B. Spectacular reflection D. Specular reflection

5. Shining light in a crumpled aluminum foil results into a .

A. Dispersion C. Refraction
B. Diffuse reflection D. Specular reflection

6. Who proposed the corpuscular theory of light?

A. Galileo Galilei C. Sir Isaac Newton
B. Rene Descartes D. Christiaan Huygens

7. Red light is least deflected. This is because the corpuscles of red light are the
.
A. Least massive B. Most reflected C. Most massive D. Most absorbed

8. According to Christian Huygens, refraction was due to the difference in the

.
A. Speed of waves in two different media
B. Color of the waves in two different media
C. Amplitude of the waves in two different media
D. Frequency of the waves in two different media
9. According to Huygens, which of the following describes aether?
A. Aether allows light to pass through.
B. Aether occupies all unoccupied space.
C. Aether constitutes the stars and planets.
D. Aether does not allow light to pass through.

10. According to Newton, what causes image reversal during reflection?

A. Plenum hitting the surface at different times
B. Plenum hitting the surface at identical times
C. Corpuscles hitting the surface at identical times
D. Corpuscles hitting the surface at different times

11. According to Newton, what causes refraction?

A. The presence of corpuscles that was directed towards the medium with
lower refractive index
B. The presence of a force that was directed towards the medium with lower
refractive index
C. The presence of a force that was directed towards the medium with higher
refractive index
D. The presence of corpuscles that was directed towards the medium
with higher refractive index

12. Two materials have identical indices of refraction. This implies that
when light enters the second media, it _ _.
A. Speeds up C. Slows down
B. Maintains its speed D. Behaves unpredictably

13. What is the unit for frequency?

A. Hertz B. Joule C. Watt D. Newton-meter

14. Sunburn can be likely caused by _ .

A. Infrared light B. Microwaves C. Radio waves Ultraviolet light
15. A darkroom is a place where photographers develop film negatives. It
uses red light because .
A. Red light has low energy level.
B. Red light has high energy level.
C. Red photons overexpose the pictures.
D. Red photons do not overexpose the pictures.
Key to Answers
Jumpstart

Activity 1: FIND ME!

Activity 2: IDENTIFY ME! Explore: Enrichment Activity 1: COMPLETE ME!

Deepen
*Rubrics attached

Gauge
References

Printed Materials

Coronado, Gary B., Boncodin, Maria Carmela A. (2006). Physic IV. Quezon
City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. (300-301)

Salmorin, Lolita M., Florido, Alberto V. (2010). Science and Technoloy Series:
Physics IV. Quezon City: Abiva Publishing House, Inc. (pp. 60-70)

Book Published Electronically

Ariew, Roger et al. 2015. Historical Dictionary of Descartes and Cartesian

Philosophy. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

Websites

National Center for Families Learning. “Do Photographers Still Use

Darkrooms?” Wonderopolis. Retrieved on October 19, 2020.
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-photographers-stilluse-
darkrooms/.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and DJ Wagner. “The Speed of Light and the
Index of Refraction.” Optics. Retrieved on October 20, 2020.
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/Dept2/ APPhys1/optics/index.htm.

Spring, Kenneth R., and Michael W. Davidson. “Light: Particle or a Wave?”

Molecular Expressions. Retrieved on October 20, 2020.
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/lightandcolor/particleorwave.
html.

Stark, Glenn. “Light.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on October 20,

2020. https://www.britannica. com/science/light/Early-particle-and-wave-
theories.

Stuewer, Roger H. “Max Planck.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on

October 19, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Max-
Planck.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Refractive Index.” Encyclopædia

Britannica. Retrieved on October 19, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/science/refractive-index.

https://maggiesscienceconnection.weebly.com/dual-nature-of-
light.html#:~:text=A.%20Light%20has%20a%20dual%20nature%201.
So
metimes%20it,how%20light%20bends%20%28or%20diffracts%29%20
aro und%20an%20object (Retrieved on October 20, 2020)