LIGHT

What is light?
Light is a radiation or a form of energy that our eyes can detect.
Light enables us to view our surroundings.
Light travels from one place to another in a straight line.
Propagation of light in a straight line is known as rectangle propagation of light.
Luminous and illuminated objects:
Any object that generates light is called a luminous object.
Most objects around us are illuminated. They appear bright
because light falls on them.
Reflection of Light
Whenever light hits an object it is either absorbed or reflected back.

Reflection of light can be defined as the phenomenon of an object throws back

the light that falls on it. Hence, the reflection of light changes its path.

A mirror is generally any shiny surface that can reflect back light.

A mirror that has a plane surface is called a Plane Mirror.

A mirror that is curved, it either bulges in or out, is called a Curved Mirror.

What is an image?
As a mirror reflects light, an image of the object that is in front of the mirror is formed on it.

The image of an object can be defined as the impression of the object created by the light
on the mirror.

The distance between the image and the mirror, and the object and the mirror always
remain the same.

If we increase or decrease the distance between the object and the mirror, the distance
between the image and the mirror also increases or decreases, respectively.

However, the size of the image formed on the mirror can vary with respect to the distance
between the object and the mirror.

If the distance between the object and the mirror increases, the size of the image decreases
and vice-versa.

An image is said to be erect if the image is formed the same side up as that of the object.

The image will be called Inverted if it is formed upside-down compared to the object.
Left-right inversion of the image

The image formed by the mirror is always left-right inverted.

This means that the right side of the object appears as the left
side of the image, and the left side of the object appears at the
right side of the image.
Why the word ‘AMBULANCE’ is painted on an ambulance left-right inverted?

This is because of the left-right inversion of the image on a mirror. The word ambulance
written as left-right inverted would, therefore, be read easily by the driver of the vehicle ahead
of the ambulance in its rearview mirror. The rear view mirror will again invert the word left-
right wise.
The Laws of Reflection of Light
•Incident Ray - The light ray that falls on the reflecting surface is called an Incident Ray.
•Reflected Ray –The light ray that gets reflected back from a reflecting surface is called
a Reflected Ray.
•Normal - It is a line that is perpendicular to the reflected plane at the point of incidence
of Incident Ray.
Types of Reflection
Depending upon the surface of the reflecting object, the reflection of light can vary.
•Diffused Reflection or Irregular Reflection: In this type of reflection, the light rays that fall on the
surface are reflected back in different directions irregularly. This generally happens in the case of an
irregular or roughly surfaced object.
•Regular Reflection: In this type of reflection, the light rays that fall on the surface of the reflecting object
reflect back in a particular direction. The reflected rays are always parallel to each other. This generally
happens in case of a smooth and shiny surface.
 Real Image Virtual Image
The real image is formed when A virtual image is formed when
the light rays reflect and meet at light rays reflect and diverge
the same point. from the same point.
It cannot be viewed on the
It can be viewed on a screen.
screen.
It is always inverted. It is always erect.
Formed by Convex, Concave and
Formed by Concave mirror
Plane Mirrors
Plane Mirror
•Characteristics of the image formed by a plane mirror:
The image formed by a plane mirror is always virtual and erect.
•The image undergoes lateral inversion.
•The size of the image formed by a plane mirror is the same as that of the object.
•The distance of the object from the mirror is equal to the distance of the image from the mirror,
that is, image distance is equal to object distance.
•Uses of plane mirror:

The regular reflection caused by plane mirrors can be

used to record pictures for television shows.
•Plane mirror is used in making a Periscope.
•Plane mirrors are used in a microscope to illuminate the
object you want to observe.
Spherical Mirrors:

Unlike plane mirrors that are flats, spherical mirrors have

curved surfaces. Spherical Mirrors are of two kinds:
Concave mirror
Convex mirror

Concave mirror: A concave mirror is a spherical mirror whose

reflecting surface is on the inner side. It is also known as a
converging mirror, as a parallel beam of light after reflection
from a concave mirror converges at a point.

Convex mirror: A convex mirror is a spherical mirror whose

reflecting surface is on the outer side. It is also known as a
diverging mirror, as the parallel beam of light after reflection
from a convex mirror diverges.
Concave Mirrors form real images:
The image formed by a concave mirror can be a real
image and captured on a screen. The image is also
inverted.

Concave Mirrors also form virtual images when a candle

is close to the mirror a virtual image is formed.
The image formed by a concave mirror has the following properties:
•It can either be real or virtual.
•It can either be inverted or erect.
•It can have the same size as that of the object, a larger size that of the object or
smaller size than that of the object.
•Uses of concave mirror:
Concave mirrors of large focal lens are used as shaving
mirrors.
•Concave mirrors are used as reflectors in headlights of
vehicles, searchlights etc.
•Concave and convex mirrors are used in reflection
telescopes.
•Concave mirrors are used in devices such as solar
cookers.
Convex Mirrors form only virtual images:
It is not possible to project the image formed by a convex
mirror on a sheet of paper. A convex mirror does not form
a real image, it only form virtual images.
The image formed by a convex mirror has the following properties:
•It is always virtual.
•It is always upright (erect).
•It is smaller in size as that of the object
•Uses of convex mirrors:
Convex mirrors are used in buses to help the driver see
the whole bus.
•Convex mirrors are used as rear view Mirrors of vehicles.
•Convex mirrors are used as field view Mirrors in
supermarkets as they cover a wider range of vision.
Lenses:
A lens is a transparent material such as glass, with two
surfaces out of which at least one is a spherical surface.
There are two types of lenses:
Convex lens and
Concave lens
Convex lenses:
Convex lenses are also called converging lenses since they
converge a given parallel beam of light passing through them.
They are thicker at the middle and thinner at the edges.

Concave lenses:
Concave lenses are also called diverging lenses since they
diverge a parallel beam of light passing through them.
They are thinner at the middle and thicker at the edges.

A lens has two spherical surfaces; hence it has two centres of

curvature, one on each side of the lense.
A straight line passing through the two centres of curvature of
the lens is called the principal axis of the lens.
Image formed by concave lens:
A concave lens cannot produce a real image as the light
rays passing through it do not converge. It forms only a
virtual, diminished and erect image.
A concave lens diverges light. This means it bends light
outwards. That is why, a concave lens is called a diverging
lens.
Image formed by convex lens:
An image formed by a convex lens depend on the distance of the object
from the convex lens. When objects is placed at far off distance from a
convex lens, then the image formed by the convex lens is real, inverted
and much smaller than the object (or highly diminished).

When objects is placed at a very close

distance from a convex lens, then the
image formed by the convex lens is
virtual, erect and enlarged

Light passing on a convex lens converges. This means the lens bends light inwards. Convex lens also
converges heat waves and therefore it can burn paper.
•Uses of convex and concave lenses:
Convex lenses are used as magnifying glasses (simple
microscope).
•Convex and concave lenses are used for correcting
defects of the eye.
•Concave lens is used as a peephole.
•Convex and concave lenses are used for cameras and
projectors.
•Convex and concave lenses are used in Binoculars,
telescopes and microscopes.
Dispersion of light:
When a beam of white light is passed through a Prism, it splits into its component colours. This
phenomenon is called Dispersion of light. The band of colours that is obtained is called a spectrum.
White light is actually made up of seven colours. The order of colours is violet, Indigo, blue, green,
yellow, orange and red. we can say it VIBGYOR.
How the rainbow forms:
The different colours in a Rainbow are formed due to Dispersion of
Sunlight as it passes through small water droplets in the air after
rain. The different colours thus formed appear in the form of a large
curve in the sky called a rainbow.

Newton's disc can also be used to show how the seven colours can again be combined to form white colour.
The area of the disc is divided into 7 equal parts and each part is coloured using each of the seven colours. If
you rotate the disc fast it appears white in colour.