• At large distances from the source, the wave fronts become less and less curved.

• Once light has been produced, it will keep travelling in a straight line until it hits something
else.
 Translucent, Transparent &
Opaque
ALL
light
passes
Transparent through

SOME
light
passes
Translucent through

NO
light
passes
Opaque through
 When light hits an opaque material

In specular reflection, the reflected rays are parallel to each other.

LAW OF REFLECTION

1.) The incident ray, the reflected

ray, and the normal to the surface
all lie in the same plane

2.) The angle of incidence equals

the angle of reflection.

𝜃 𝑖=𝜃𝑟
The person’s right hand becomes the image’s left hand.

The image has three properties:

1. It is upright.
2. It is the same size as you are.
3. The image is as far behind the mirror are you are in front of it.
A ray of light from the top of the chess piece reflects from the mirror.
To the eye, the ray seems to come from behind the mirror.

Because none of the rays actually emanate from the image, it is

called a virtual image.
The geometry used to show that
the image distance is equal
to the object distance.

𝑑 𝑜 =𝑑 𝑖
 If light moves from a less dense medium, like air, into a denser
medium, like glass, then the light slows down.

Speed of light as it passes

C = 3.0 x 108 m/s
through the medium
8
Speed of light in vacuum v = 2.8 x 10 m/s

When light slows down, the light rays will bend.

 λ
𝑐= Speed of light in vacuum

λ
𝑣=
𝑓
Speed of light in a medium
(e.g. air, glass, water)
The bending of light will depend
on the index of refraction (n) of the
material.

Speed of light in vacuum c

n 
Speed of light in the material v

𝑐
𝑛=
𝑣
 SNELL’S LAW OF REFRACTION

When light travels from a material with one index of refraction

to a material with a different index of refraction, the angle of
incidence is related to the angle of refraction by

Willebrord Snell
Dutch mathematician and
physicist
(1580-1646)

n1 sin 1  n2 sin  2 =
 Apparent Depth

An object placed in a denser

medium, when viewed from
rarer medium appears to be
at a lesser depth than its
real depth due to refraction of
light.
Apparent Depth

observer directly above object

 n2 
d   d  
 n1 
Total Internal Reflection
When light passes from a medium of larger refractive index into one
of smaller refractive index, the refracted ray bends away from the
normal.

n2
sin  c  n1  n2
n1
Critical angle