DPS RUBYPARK KOLKATA

STUDY MATERIAL (2024-25)

SUB- PHYSICS
CLASS X

LIGHT (REFLECTION AND REFRACTION)

GIST OF THE LESSON

Reflection of Light: There are some surfaces which have ability to send the light back in
the same medium when light strikes it. This phenomenon of sending the light back in the
same medium by a surface is called reflection of light.
Laws of reflection of light:
(i) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence, all lie in asame
plane.

(ii) The angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection, ∠i = ∠r.

Image: When light rays meet or appear to meet after reflection from a mirror, then it is
called an image.
(i) Real Image: It is a kind of image which is formed by actual intersection of light rays after
reflection.

(ii) Virtual Image: It is a kind of image which is formed by producing the reflected rays
backward after reflection.

Plane Mirror: Plane mirror is a piece of glass whose one side is polished by using silver paint,
which is covered by a coating of red paint to protect the silver layer.
Spherical Mirrors: It is part of hollow glass sphere whose one surface is
polished. There are two types of spherical mirror.
Concave Mirror: It is a spherical mirror whose outer surface is polished and inner or
concave side is reflecting surface.
(ii) Convex Mirror: It is a spherical mirror whose inner is polished and outer side or convex
side is the reflecting surface.

Some terms related to spherical mirrors:

(i) Principal Focus:

A point on the principal axis of a spherical mirror where the rays of light parallel to the
principal axis meet or appear to meet after reflection from the mirror.

(ii) Focal Length:

The distance between the pole (P) and principal focus (F) of a spherical mirror is called the
focal length of the mirror. It is denoted by f.2

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Uses of Concave Mirror:

i) It is used as a shaving mirror because when it is placed close to the face, it forms a large image.
ii) It is used in solar heating devices like solar cooker, because it converges Sun’s rays over a

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 small area to produce high temperature.
iii) It is used for security checking purposes.

Uses of Convex Mirror:

i) It is used as rear view mirror in automobiles because it gives erect image as well as diminished
due to which it has wider field of view.
ii) It is also used in street lights.

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Mirror Formula:
It is a relation between distance of object, distance of image from the pole of the mirror and it’s
focal length, i.e., relation between ‘u’, ‘v and It is given by

Magnification: It is defined as the ratio of height of image to the height of the object.
It is denoted by letter m.

Refraction of Light: The bending of ray of light when it passes from one medium to another
is called refraction of light.

Laws of Refraction:
(i) The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the interface of two transparent media at
the point of incidence, all lie in the same plane.

(ii) The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is a constant, for the
light of a given colour and for the given pair of media. This law is also known as Snell’s law of
refraction.

If i is the angle of incidence and r is the angle of refraction, then, sin i / sin r = constant
This constant value is called the refractive index of the second medium with respect to the first.

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Refractive Index : The refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium1 is given
by the ratio of the speed of light in medium 1 and the speed of light in medium 2. This is
usually represented by the symbol n21. This can be expressed in an equation form as

Refraction by spherical lenses: Lens is a transparent medium which is formed by joining two
pieces of spherical glass. There are two types of lenses.

Convex Lens : It is a lens which is thicker at the centre and thinner at the edges.

Concave Lens : It is a lens which is thinner at the centre and thicker at the edges. Terms
related to a lens

Optical Centre of Lens : It is the centre of the lens through which light can pass without any
deviation.

Principal Axis : It is an imaginary line passing through optical centre and is perpendicular
to the line joining its edges.

Principal Focus: It is a point on the principal axis where all light rays which are
parallel to principal axis either converge or appear to diverge from, after refraction.

Lens formula :

Magnification : Magnification, m = h2/h1

i.e, Ratio of height of image to the height of object.

It is also given by v/u i.e., Ratio of distance of image to the distance of object.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. A concave lens has focal length of 20 cm. At what distance from the lens a 5 cm tall object be
placed so that it forms an image at 15 cm from the lens? Also calculate the size of the image
formed.

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2. Draw the ray diagram in each case to show the position and nature of the image formed when
the object is placed:
(i) at the centre of curvature of a concave mirror.
(ii) between the pole P and focus F of a concave mirror.
(iii) in front of a convex mirror.
(iv) at 2F of a convex lens.
(v) in front of a concave lens.

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3. If a light ray IM is incident on the surface AB as shown, identify the correct emergent ray.

4. The refractive indices of four media A, B, C and D are given in the following table:

If light, travels from one medium to another, in which case the change in speed will be:
(i) minimum (ii) maximum?

5. “The refractive index of diamond is 2.42”. What is the meaning of this statement in relation to
speed of light?

6. Explain with the help of a diagram, why a pencil partly immersed in water appears to be bent at
the water surface.

7. (a) It is desired to obtain an erect image of an object, using a concave mirror of focal length 20
cm.

(i) What should be the range of distance of the object from the mirror?
(ii) Will the image be bigger or smaller than the object?
(iii) Draw a ray diagram to show the image formation in this case.

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(b) One half a convex lens of focal length 20 cm is covered with a black paper.
(i) Will the lens produce a complete image of the object?

(ii) Show the formation of image of an object placed at 2F1 of such covered lens with the help of
a ray diagram.

8. Explain why a ray of light passing through the centre of curvature of a concave mirror, gets
reflected along the same path.

9. What is the nature of the image formed by a concave mirror if the magnification produced by
the mirror is +3?

10. Between which two points of a concave mirror should an object be placed to obtain a
magnification of -3?

11. Between which two points related to a concave mirror should an object be placed to obtain on
a screen an image twice the size of the object?

12. A ray of light enters a rectangular glass slab of refractive index 1.5. It is found that the ray
emerges from the opposite face of the slab without being displaced. If its speed in air is 3 x 108
ms-1 then what is its speed in glass?

13. The speed of light in a transparent medium is 0.6 times that of its speed in vacuum. What is
the refractive index of the medium?

14. In an experiment with a rectangular glass slab, a student observed that a ray of lightincident
at an angle of 55° with the normal on one face of the slab, after refraction strikes the opposite
face of the slab before emerging out into air making an angle of 40° with the normal. Draw a
labelled diagram to show the path of this ray. What value would you assign to the angle of
refraction and angle of emergence?

15. How far should an object be placed from a .convex lens of focal length 20 cm to obtain its
image at a distance of 30 cm from the lens? What will be the height of the image if the object is 6
cm tall?

16. Define the focus of a concave mirror. If the radius of curvature of a convex mirror is 30 cm,
what would be its focal length?

17. What is the principle of reversibility of light? Show that the incident ray of light is parallel to
the emergent ray of light when light falls obliquely on a side of a rectangular glass slab.

18. (a) If the image formed by a lens is diminished in size and erect, for all positions of the object,
what type of lens is it?
(b) Name the point on the lens through which a ray of light passes undeviated.
(c) An object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of focal length 20 cm.
The distance of the object from the lens is 30 cm. Find (i) the position (ii) the magnification and
(iii) the nature of the image formed.

19. (а) Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of image of an object placed between infinity
and the optical centre of a concave lens.

(b) A concave lens of focal length 15 cm forms an image 10 cm from the lens. Calculate

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(i) the distance of the object from the lens.
(ii) the magnification for the image formed.
(iii) the nature of the image formed.

20. A 2.0 cm tall object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a concave lens of focal length 15 cm. At
what distance from the lens, should the object be placed so that it forms an image 10 cm from the lens? Also
find the nature and the size of image formed.

21. List four properties of the image formed by a plane mirror.

22. List four properties of the image formed by a concave mirror, when object is placed between focus and pole
of the mirror.

23. State the type of mirror preferred as (i) rear view mirror in vehicles, (i0 shaving mirror. Justify your
answer giving two reasons in each case.

24. The image of a candle flame placed at a distance of 45 cm from a spherical lens is formed on a screen placed
at a distance of 90 cm from the lens.
Identify the type of lens and calculate its focal length. If the height of the flame is 2 cm, find the height of its
image.

25. A 4 cm tall object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of focal length 24 cm. The
distance of the object from the lens is 16 cm. Find the position, size and nature of the image formed, using the lens
formula.

26. Name the type of mirror used in the following situations:

(i) Headlights of a car (ii) Rear-view mirror of vehicles (iii) Solar furnace. Support your answer with
reason.

27. A 6 cm tall object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of focal length 15 cm. The
distance of the object from the lens is 10 cm. Find the position, size and nature of the image formed, using the lens
formula.

28. State the law of refraction of light that defines the refractive index of a medium with respect to the other.
Express it mathematically. How is refractive index of any medium ‘A’ with respect to a medium ‘B’ related to
the speed of propagation of light in two media A and B? State the name of this constant when one medium is
vacuum or air.
The refractive indices of glass and water with respect to vacuum are 3/2 and 4/3 respectively. If the speed
of light in glass is 2 x 108 m/s, find the speed of light in (i) vacuum, (ii) water.

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 PREVIOUS YEARS’ SOLVED QUESTIONS

2012

1. A ray of light incident on a rectangular glass slab immersed in a any

medium emerge parallel to itself. Draw a labeled diagram to justify the
statement.
Ans. PQRS is the rectangular glass
slab. AB is the incident ray (in
medium 1). AC is the original
path of incident ray.
BD is the refracted ray (through glass
slab) DE is the emergent ray ( in
medium 1). DE is parallel to AC
(ie. Emergent ray is parallel to the incident ray)

2. a) State the laws of refraction of light. Give an expression to relate the absolute refractive index of a medium with the
speed of light in vacuum.

b) The refractive indices of water and glass w.r.t. air are 4/3 and 3/2 respectively. If the speed of light in
glass is 2 x 108 m/s. Find the speed of light in (i) air (ii) water.
Ans. a) The laws of refraction:
 The incident ray, the normal, at the point of incident and the refracted ray lie in the sameplane.
 The ration of speed of light in any two given media will be constant, provided all other parameters remain the
same. This constant is known as the refractive index.

The expression to relate the absolute refractive index of a medium, w.r.t. speed of light will be:
µ= speed of light in vacuum
speed of light in that
medium

b) R.I. of water = 4/3 & R.I. of glass

is3/2.

Speed of light in glass

= 2 x 108 m/s.
µ= speed in air
speed in glass
i)
3/2 = x/2*108

x = 3*108m/s

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 ii) μw = 4/3 = 3x108/x

x = 2.25 x 108 m/s

2013

1. Find the focal length in cm of a lens of power – 2D. Identify the lens.
A. Focal length in m = 1/ P (where P is the power of the lens and f = focal length)

f = 1/ P
f = 1/-2
f = -0.5m
Focal length of the lens is 50 cm. Since the focal length is negative so the lens is a concave lens.

2. Draw the ray diagram to show the reflected ray by a concave mirror when the incident ray
a) passes through its centre of curvature
b) is incident on pole of the concave mirror
A. The ray diagrams are
a) incident ray passes through centre of curvature

The reflected ray traces back the path of the incident ray

b) incident ray falls on the pole

The angle of incidence with the principal axis will be equal to the angle of reflection

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 2015

1. The absolute refractive indices of glass and water are 4/3 and 3/2 respectively. If the speed of light in glass is 2 x 108
m/s, calculate the speed of light in (i) vacuum (ii) water
A. R.I. of water = 4/3 & R.I. of glass is 3/2
Speed of light in glass = 2 x 108 m/s

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 µglass = speed in air
speed in glass
i) 3/2= x

2x108
x = 3x108 m / s

µwater = speed in air

speed in
water
i 3x108
4i/3= y
)
y = 2.25x108 m / s

Speed of light in air = 3 x 108 m/s

And Speed of light in water = 2.25 x 108 m/s

2. If the image formed by a mirror for all positions of the object placed in front of it is always erect and diminished, what
type of mirror is it? Draw a ray diagram to justify your answer. Where and why do we generally use this type of
mirror?
A. Since the images for all positions are erect, they will be virtual. Also the images are diminished the mirror has to be a
convex mirror.

Ray diagrams to show diminished and erect images are formed for all
position These mirrors are used as “rear view mirrors” or all vehicles
Reason : These mirrors provide a wide field of view. The wider field of view is obtained due to diminished
images formed. The erect nature of images ensures a clear view behind the vehicle.
2016

1. A student uses a convex lens of focal length 20 cm to produce an image of a given object by keeping at different
distances from the lens. He then enters his observation in a table.

Sl.No. I II III IV
Distance of object - - - -
From lens

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 Description of image Real, inverted, same Virtual, erect, Real, inverted, Real, inverted and
size as object magnified magnified diminished

He had used four values of the object distance namely, 10 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm. Correlate these values
with their corresponding case numbers and write them in the table in the blank spaces.
Give similar details of description of image when object distance is (a) 15 cm b) 45 cm

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Ans
.
Sl.No. I II III IV V VI
Distance of 40 cm 10 cm 30 cm 50 cm 15 cm 45 cm
object
Description of Real, Virtual, erect, Real, Real, Virtual, erect, Real,
image inverted same magnified inverted, inverted, enlarged inverted,
size as object magnified diminished diminished

For calculation purposes (not required in this question) Lens formula can be used(1/f = 1/u+1/v)

2. a) Define absolute refractive index. Mention its unit. Can the value of absolute refractive index be smaller than I?
Justify your answer.

b) The refractive index of glass with respect to air is 3/2 and the refractive index of water with respect to air
is 4/3. Calculate the R.I. of glass w.r.t to water.
Ans. a) The refractive index of a transparent medium is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to that in the
medium Refractive index does not have any unit. Since it is a ratio, it does not have any unit.
Since light travels the fastest in vacuum, therefore its speed in any medium, other than vacuum, has to be
slower. Therefore, the value of refractive index of any medium, other than vacuum, has to be higher than ‘1’
(one)
b) Solution has been given before on Page 9-10

3. One half of a convex lens of a focal length 10 cm is covered with a black paper. Can such a lens produce an image
of a complete object placed at a distance of 30 cm from the lens? Draw a ray diagram to justify your answer.

A 4 cm tall object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of a focal length 20 cm.
The distance of the object from the lens is 15 cm. Find the nature, position and size of the image.
Ans. Yes, the lens can produce a complete image. The intensity of the image will be less, but the image will be a
complete image.
The ray diagram :

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 1 1 1
Using the formula = -
(where the variables have their usual meanings)
f v u
(v =? u = - 15, f = 20)
1/20= 1/v – 1/-15
Solving the above we get,
v = -60 cm

m=h’/h=v/u

h’/4 = -60/-15

h’= 4cm'

Image is virtual and larger than the object ( i.e. 4 cm)

4. Name the type of mirror used in the design of solar furnaces. Explain how high temperature is achieved by this device.

Ans. Usually concave mirrors, large sized concave mirrors are used in solar furnaces. These mirrors can and does
contribute the sun’s rays in a manner that solar rays are concentrated in the furnace. These concentrated
rays build up heat and hence causes a quick rise in temperature. Since the heat gets concentrated in a small
area, high temperatures can be achieved by these furnaces.

5. The image of an object formed by a mirror is real, inverted and is of magnification -1. If the image is at a distance of
– 40 cm from the mirror, where would the image be if the object is moved 20 cm, towards the

mirror? Give the reason and also draw a ray diagram for the new position of the object to justify
your answer.
Ans. Since the image formed is real, the mirror has to be concave mirror.
Magnification is negative so the image is real, Magnification is 1, so the size of image is same as the object.
The image if formed 40 cm away from the mirror the ‘C’ ( centre of curvature) is 40 cm.
So the object is placed at 40 cm.
If the object is moved 20 cm, towards the mirror, then it will be at ‘f’ (focus). The image will be formed at
infinity, it will be a real image and highly magnified.

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 The reflected rays are parallel to each other. So they will meet
at
infinity

6. It is desired to obtain an erect image of an object using concave mirror of focal length 12 cm
i) What should be the range of distance of the object placed in front of a mirror?
ii) Will the image be smaller or larger than the object? Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of the image in this
case.
iii) Where will the image of this object be if it is placed 24 cm in front of the mirror. Draw a ray diagram for the
situation, also to justify your answer. Show the position of the pole, principal, focus and the centre of curvature, in the
above ray diagram.

Ans. i) Since the focal length of the concave mirror is 12 cm and the desired image is an erect image the object
must be placed anywhere between the pole and the focus. Therefore the range of distance would be o
(zero) to 12 (twelve) centimeter, excluding both the figures.
In other words, the distance has to be less than 12 cm
ii) Real image produced by concave mirrors, will always be magnified or larger than the object.
Ray diagram :

iii) If the focal length is 12 cm

The radius of curvature will be 24 cm (double of focal length) If the object is placed at a 24 cm, in front of
the mirror then it will be at ‘C’ (centre of curvature). So the image formed will also be at ‘C’ i.e. 24 cm in
front of the mirror. It will be an inverted, real image and will be of the same size as the object.

Ray diagram :

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7. a) Define optical centre of a spherical lens
b) A divergent lens has a focal length of 20 cm. At what distance should an object of height 4 cm be placed, from the
optical centre of the lens, so that its image is formed 10 cm away from the lens. Find the size of the image also.
c) Draw a ray diagram to show that the formation of image in the above situation.

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Ans. a) The central point of a spherical lens is called its optical centre.
Any light ray passing through this point will pass through without any deviation.
b) f = - 20 cm, v = - 10 cm, u = x cm
1/f=1/v-1/u
1/-20=1/-10 - 1/u
Solving we get,
u = -20cm

i.e. object should be placed at 20 cm from the pole of the divergent

lens. Size of the image:

m=h’/h = v/u

h’/4 = -10/-20

h' = 2 cm

(c)

where
F2& F1 are foci of the lens
O is the position of the
object I is the position of
the image

8. An object of height 2 cm is placed at a distance of 15 cm from a concave mirror of focal length 10 cm. Find the size,
nature and position of image formed.

Ans. Given : u = -15 cm v = ? f = - 10 cm

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 Formula
1/f = 1/v+1/u
1/-10 = 1/v+ 1/-15
Solving we get,
v = -30cm

Position of image is 30 cm in front of

mirror. Magnification:
h'’
m=
h
h’/h = -v/u

h’/2 = -(-30)/-15

h' = -4cm

So the image is real, inverted and 4 cm long.

2018

1. Why do stars twinkle? Explain.

OR
Why does the sun appear reddish early in the morning? Will this phenomenon be observed by an astronaut on the
Moon? Give reason to justify your answer.

A. Stars are very distant and approximately point-sized sources. Path of star light changes
continuously due to gradual changing of refractive index of the layers of earth’s atmosphere. Thus,
the apparent position of the stars fluctuates and the amount of star light entering the eye flickers
giving the twinkling effect.
OR

Early in the morning, the sun is near the horizon, sunlight reaches us after travelling a longer distance through thick layers
of atmosphere. Thus, most of the blue light and shorter wavelength are scattered away by the particles in the atmosphere.
The light that reaches us is of longer wavelengths giving a reddish appearance. This phenomenon will not be observed by
an astronaut on the moon, because of the absence of atmosphere of the moon

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2. State the laws of refraction of light. Explain the term ‘ absolute refractive index of a medium’ and write an expression
to relate it with the speed of light in vacuum.

OR
What is meant by power of a lens? Write its SI unit. A student uses a lens of focal length 40 cm and
another of -20 cm. Write the nature and power of each lens.
A. Laws of Refraction
i) The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the transparent surface at the point of incident all lie in the
same plane.
ii) The ratio of the sine of angle of incidence in the first medium to the sine of angle of refraction in the second
medium is a constant for a given pair of medium and for a given wavelength of light.

n = sin I / sinr
Absolute refractive indes of a medium is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum or air to
the speed of light in the medium. It is denoted by n
N = speed of light iin air (a) / speed of light in medium (v)
OR
The degree of convergence or divergence of a lens is defined as power of a lens. This is being
measure by The reciprocal of focal length of the lens is
Power = 1/ Focal length

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 SI unit of power is Dioptre
Focal length, + 40 cm of a lens tells that it is convex lens as its focal length is positive. p = 1/f

= 100 / 40 =2.5D

Focal length – 20 cm tells that it is concave lens, p = 1/f = 100/ -20 = -5D

3. If the image formed by a spherical mirror for all positions of the object placed in front of it is always erect and
diminished, what type of mirror is it? Draw a labeled ray diagram to support your answer.

Ans. A convex mirror forms an erect diminished virtual image for all positions of the object placed in front ofit.

4. An object of height 4 cm is placed at a distance of 30 cm from the optical centre ‘O’ of a convex lens of focal
length 20 cm. Draw a ray diagram to find the position and size of the image formed. Mark optical centre ‘O’ and
principal focus ‘F’ on the diagram. Also find the approximate ratio of size of the image to the size of the object.
Ans.

1/f = 1/v-1/u

1/20 = 1/v -1/-30

Solving we get,

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 v = 60cm

m= h’/h = v/u

h’/4 = 60/-30

h’= -8cm

Ratio = Height of image / Height of object = - 8/4

= - 2: 1 or M = -2
So image formed is real, inverted and enlarged, magnification is – 2

COMPETENCY BASED QUESTIONS

1. The refractive indices of three media are given below:

Medium Refractive Index
A 1.6
B 1.8
C 1.5

A ray of light is travelling from A to B and another ray is travelling from B to C.

(a) In which of the two cases the refracted ray bends towards the normal?
(b) In which case does the speed of light increase in the second medium? Give reasons for your answer.

2. (i) Explain why the refractive index of any material with respect to air is always greater 1.
(ii) In the figure below a light ray travels from air into the semi-circular plastic block. Give a reason why the ray
does not deviate at the semi-circular boundary of the plastic block.

(iii) Complete the ray diagram of the above scenario when the light ray comes out of the plastic block from the top
flat end.
3.

The above image shows a thin lens of focal length 5m.

(i) What is the kind of lens shown in the above figure?
(ii) If a real inverted image is to be formed by this lens at a distance of 7m from the pole, then show with
calculation where should the object be placed?
(iii) Draw a neatly labelled diagram of the image formation mentioned in (ii)

4. A 10 cm long pencil is placed 5 cm in front of a concave mirror having a radius of curvature of 40 cm.
(i) Determine the position of the image formed by this mirror.
(ii) What is the size of the image?
(iii) Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of the image as mentioned in the part (i).

5. Rohit wants to have an erect image of an object using a converging mirror of focal length 40 cm.

(a) Specify the range of distance where the object can be placed in front of the mirror. Justify.
(b) Draw a ray diagram to show image formation in this case.
(c) State one use of the mirror based on the above kind of image formation

6.

An object of height h is kept at point P in front of a mirror as shown below. The height of the image produced is
h'. In the diagram, F is the focus and C is the centre of curvature.

(a) If the object is now moved to point C, will the height of the image now produced be less than, equal to, or
greater than h'? Give a reason for your answer.

(b) If the focal length of the mirror is 20 cm and the distance between points P and C is 10 cm, determine the
distance between the images produced when the object is kept at P and C.
7.

(a) A lens forms a blurred image of an object on the screen as shown below: What changes can you make to the
following to form a sharp and in-focus image on the screen?
(i) object distance
(ii) focal length of the lens