Sunbeams streaming through the clouds suggest that light
travels in straight lines. The direction of the path in which
light is travelling is called a ray and is represented in diagrams by a straight line with an arrow on it. A beam is a stream of light and is shown by a number of rays; it may be parallel, diverging (spreading out) or converging (getting narrower). TRANSPARENT, TRANSLUSCENT, OPAQUE SUBSTANCES SHADOWS UMBRA AND PENUMBRA
The region of deep, total shadow is called the UMBRA
and the region of partial shadow is called the PENUMBRA. The umbra is a region where no light can get to while the penumbra is a region where some light can reach. REFLECTION OF LIGHT REFLECTION ON PLANE MIRRORS
The image in a plane mirror seems to be somewhere in
space behind the mirror, this type of image is called a virtual image. It is actually the same distance from the mirror as the object is in front of the mirror.
The image in a plane mirror also looks as though it is
reversed from left to right. This property is called LATERAL INVERSION. RULES TO DRAW RAY DIAGRAMS
A ray parallel to the principal axis reflects
through (or from in convex mirrors) the principal focus F.
A ray through the center of curvature C which
hits the mirror normally, is reflected back along its own path (the radius of a sphere is perpendicular to the surface where it meets the surface)
A ray through the principal focus F is reflected
parallel to the principal axis. OBJECT BEYOND THE CENTRE OF CURVATURE
NATURE: REAL, INVERTED AND DIMINISHED
OBJECT AT CENTRE OF CURVATURE OBJECT BETWEEN C AND F OBJECT AT THE FOCAL OBJECT BETWEEN F AND POLE CONVEX LENS AND CONCAVE LENS Ray diagrams for convex lens OBJECT AT FOCAL OBJECT AT 2F CONCAVE LENS
Image is always virtual, upright, and diminished
REFRACTION OF LIGHT BENDING OF LIGHT RAYS LAW OF REFRACTION TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION MIRAGE
Mirageshappen when the ground is very hot and the
air is cool. The hot ground warms a layer of air just above the ground. When the light moves through the cold air and into the layer of hot air it is refracted (bent). A layer of very warm air near the ground refracts the light from the sky nearly into a U-shaped bend.