Everyone loves to look at the

silly images of oneself

through fun house mirrors.
These mirrors distort the
REflection and images by reflecting light rays

1
in such a way that the images
Chapter

Refraction of light are not proportionate to the

size of the actual object. How
are images formed?
Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light
 Diffraction of Light
For the diffraction of waves to be significant, the size of the
wavelength should be comparable to the size of the obstacle.

Diffraction is less significant when the wavelength is much

smaller than the aperture.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Light Travels in a Straight Line
• Ray Tracing
Ray tracing is a technique used in optics.
By tracing the path of light, one can determine
the type of image formed. Light rays begin from
three points:
1) The source,
2) The point of reflection and
3) The point of refraction.
Light rays are drawn as long straight lines because light travels in a
straight line.

• Shadows
Light cannot pass through opaque objects but
it can travel around them to form shadows.
The fact that the shadows have the same
shape as the opaque objects shows that light
travels in a straight line.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light
 Reflection of Light
When light meets a surface, reflection occurs.

Reflection always involves two rays – an incoming or incident ray that strikes the
surface, and an outgoing or reflected ray that leaves the same surface.

Normal
- An imaginary line perpendicular to the
surface at the point where the light
strikes.
-It is drawn to indicate the angle of
incidence i and angle of reflection r.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Reflection of Light
Law of Reflection:

angle of incidence = angle of reflection

i = r

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Reflection of Light
There are two types of reflection: regular and diffuse.
1. Regular Reflection
Light bounces off objects. This allows us to see them.

smooth surface

On a smooth surface, reflected light maintains its geometry. Parallel incident rays
are reflected as parallel reflected rays.

This is called regular reflection .

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Reflection of Light
2. Diffuse Reflection
When the reflecting surface is rough, diffuse reflection occurs.

rough surface

The law of reflection still holds, resulting in incident parallel rays not reflecting as
parallel rays.
In diffused reflection, the reflected rays leave the surface at many different directions
such that the image is distorted.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Regular and Diffuse Reflection

When the water is still, reflection is

regular. The image formed on the
water surface is clear and sharp.

However, if the water is rough,

diffuse reflection occurs. The
image formed is blur.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Most of us look at mirrors everyday. What are the characteristics of the image formed?

Characteristics of image on a plane mirror

• Same size as object
• Virtual
• Laterally inverted
• As far behind the mirror as the object is from the
mirror

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Mirrors
The image of an object is formed on a plane mirror when light rays from the object is
reflected off the mirror.

object

i r

plane mirror

Light reflects off the surface such that the angle of incidence and reflection
are equal.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 To the eye, the light ray reaching the eye appears to come from the image behind
the mirror.

object

plane mirror

This type of image is called a virtual image because it is formed at a place where there is no
light from the object. The mirror simply makes the light appear to be coming from behind it.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Steps involved in drawing ray diagrams

Suppose a triangular object is placed in front of a mirror. We can draw a ray diagram to
show how the eye sees the image in the mirror.

plane mirror
object image
x x

1st - draw the image of the triangle, such that it is of the same size and
shape, and as far behind the mirror as the object is from the mirror.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 2nd – draw two diverging rays from any point on the image towards where the
eye is positioned.

object plane mirror image

3rd – draw two diverging rays from the corresponding point on the object to the
mirror to meet the reflected rays.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light
 Behaviour of light

When a traveling ray of light hits the interface between two media, for example from
air to glass, two things happen – reflection and refraction.

refraction

Refraction, or the bending of light occurs

when light passes between materials of
refraction different optical densities.
glass
air

reflection

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refraction Terminology

i = angle of incidence
r = angle of refraction

i r
Incident ray air refracted ray
air
glass water
Refracted ray
Incident ray
r i

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refraction
Light bends away from normal when emerging from water into air as it is moving from an
optically denser medium to an optically less dense medium.

Optical density of glass > water > air > vacuum

Bends
towards
Bends away normal
from normal

Light bends towards normal when entering into water from air.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Cause of Refraction of Light
The change in speed and wavelength at the boundary between two materials causes light
to change direction

air has lower optical density

- faster

Glass has higher optical

density – slower
glass
air
air has lower optical density
- faster

The more optically dense the material, the slower the speed of light in that material.

Snell’s law : n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refractive index
If 1 represents the angle of the light ray to the normal in the less dense medium, and 2
represents the angle of the ray to the normal in the denser medium;
Then:
1
sin 
n = sin  1

2
2
glass
The ratio of the two sin  s gives the same
air
refractive index , and this relationship is called
1
Snell’s Law.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refractive Index and the Speed of Light
Light travels fastest in vacuum at 3 × 108 m/s. It travels slower in water and in glass
because the speed of light depends on the refractive index of the medium that the light
travels in.
For light travelling from vacuum (or air) into glass, the expression involving the ratio of sin i
and sin r is called the refractive index of glass, ng.
ng = sin θv
sin θg

It has been proven that the refractive index of a medium can be expressed as the ratio
of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in that medium.
Mathematically,
n= c
v
where,
c is the speed of light in air
v is the speed of light in the medium

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refractive Index, n
The refractive index of a medium is the ratio of the speed of light in one medium to the
speed of light in the other.

air V air
glass
V V
V glass n= glass
air

V air

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refractive Index, n

Since the frequency of light does not change when it passes through media of different
optical densities, a decrease in speed when light travels from air to glass is accompanied
by a decrease in its wavelength.

From V = f ,

  V
n= air
=
air

V
glass glass

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Sample problem 1
A ray of light approaches a glass-air boundary at an angle of incident i = 30. What is the
refractive index of the glass if the angle of refraction r = 49 ?

30o sin 
n =
sin 
1

glass 2

air
sin 49°
49 o
=
sin
30°
= 1.5

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Sample problem 2
A ray of light approaches a water-air boundary at an angle of incident i = 35o.

(i) What is the angle of refraction if the refractive index of water n = 1.3 ?
(ii) Complete the path of the light as it crosses the water-air boundary.

35o sin 
n =
sin 
1

water 2

air
sin 35
1.3 =
26°
sin r
r = 26o

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Refraction in Everyday Life
The brain tells the viewer that light travels in a straight line.
Because of refraction, the light rays coming from the submerged part of the
pencil appears to be at a higher plane.
This is why the pencil appears bent even though the viewer knows that the
pencil is straight.

This effect also explains why swimming pools appear shallower

than they really are.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light
 As the angle of incidence increases, the angle of refraction increases as well.

air air air

glass glass glass

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 There is a limiting angle in the optically denser medium, called the critical angle , c,
which produces a maximum angle of refraction (90 degrees) in the optically less dense
medium.

90o
air air
glass glass
weak reflection i> c
c r
c strong reflection

If incident angle > critical angle:

 No light ray from the optically denser medium will be refracted.

 All light rays will be internally reflected into the optically denser
medium.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Critical Angle and Total Internal Reflection

Critical angle, c, is defined as the angle of incidence in slower medium which produces
an angle of refraction of 90 .
air
glass
i> c r

Total internal reflection only occurs when:

 A light ray is from the optically denser medium and approaching the optically
less dense medium.
 The angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Examples of Total Internal Reflection

(1) Optical fibres

Optical fibres are made up of two types of glass. As the fibres are very thin,
the light rays that enter the fibres will strike the boundary of the two types of
glass at angles always larger than the critical angle.

less dense more dense

light source

less dense

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Examples of Total Internal Reflection

The use of right-angled prisms as a nearly perfect mirrors in binoculars and periscopes.

Prisms used in a pair of binoculars Prisms used in a periscope

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light
 A prism disperses white light into a band of colours. It is a
phenomenon due to the refraction of light.

Given that white light is made up of a range of colours (ROYGBIV) of different

wavelengths, how does refraction cause white light to be dispersed?

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Each wavelength that makes up the white light has a slightly different angle of
refraction. In other words, the refractive index for each wavelength is different.

Analyze the diagram of dispersion, and infer which colour light has
the greatest refractive index?

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 Newton and the Scientific Methodology

Scientific Method can be described as a series of logical steps taken when

investigating phenomena. It can be simplified into four main steps:
Observation: The scientist tries to make sense of the world around him
through past experiences and previous solutions to similar problems.
Hypothesis: The scientist attempts to formulate an explanation to an observed
phenomena.
Experiment: The scientist creates tests and experiments to collect data. Through the
manipulation of the collected data, the scientist looks for trends that may explain the
hypothesis.
Conclusion: The scientist makes a conclusion with regards to the hypothesis made
earlier based on the evidence from the experiments.

Chapter 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light