Light Physic Form 4
Light Physic Form 4
Light Physic Form 4
n = sin i /sin r
n = 1 / sin c
So,
REFRACTIVE INDEX :
Example:
If the critical angle for a material is 42°. What is it’s refractive index?
n = 1 / sin c
= 1 / sin 42°
= 1.49
Yes, the refractive index is 1.49 nearing to 1.50 therefore from the table above, the material is
most probably a glass.
Diamonds
Brilliant diamonds have a high index of refraction.
Light entering a cleaved, or cut, diamond from the top may also eventually exit the top.
Colored flashes of light occur in a fiery diamond when light is separated into colors.
Rainbow formation
When sunlight shines on raindrops, refraction and total internal reflection occur in the
raindrop.
When an observer receives the refracted light from the rainbows at specific angle, a vision of
rainbow is formed.
Mirage
A mirage occurs when an object appears displaced from its true position.
Atmospheric mirages are created when light is bent, or refracted, as it travels through layers of
air with differing densities.
The image of sky where the distant ground should be produces the mirage of a watery
pavement, or water resting on hot desert sand. When the light from an object is bent, making
the object appear higher than it actually is, a superior mirage occurs.
When an object appears lower than it actually is, the mirage is called an inferior mirage.
Fibre Optics
Fiber-Optics make use of total internal reflection to guide light along transparent fibres.
A strand of fiber-optic cable reflects the light that passes through it back into the fiber, so light
cannot escape the strand.
Fiber-optic cables carry more information.
USES:
Binoculars
Binoculars are used to see distant objects.
There are two prisms arranged specially in each half of the binoculars.
Light rays from distant objects undergo total internal reflection in the prisms before entering
the eyes of the observer.
The image seen by the observer is erect.
1. If the angle of incidence is allowed to exceed the critical angle, it is found that light rays are not
refracted. This is because all of the light rays are reflected.
Light ray which travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium will be refracted away from
the normal.
A: When light passes from a transparent medium into air, it bends away from the normal. It is refracted.
Q: Why the angle of refraction becomes 90° and not more? What do we call the angle of incidence at
this limit?
A: This is the limit the light ray can be refracted in air because the angle in air cannot be larger than 90°.
The angle of incidence in the denser medium at this limit is called the critical angle, c.
Q: What happens when the angle of incidence is more than the critical angle?
A: When the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, all the light undergoes reflection.
2. On a Concave mirror, the rays that are parallel and close to the main axis (small opening) converge to
a point F (main or principal focus) and the distance FP is known as the focal distance of the concave
mirror. (P is the surface of the mirror)
3. On a Convex mirror, parallel rays that are close to the main axis, diverge from the surface of
reflection. The rays are seen to diverge from a poinf F (main focus) behind the mirror. The distance FP is
known as the focal length of the mirror.
(a) It is virtual
(b) Has the same size as the object
(c) Is laterally inverted (i.e. inverted sideways)
(d) The distance of the object from the mirror is equal to the distance of the image form the mirror.
Refraction of Light
REFRACTION OF LIGHT
Refraction of light is a ‘bending of the light rays’ phenomena when light passes from one medium to
another medium.
Refraction of light occurs when light passes through two transparent media having different densities
Q: What happen when light rays passing through from a less dense medium into a denser medium?
A: Light rays will refract towards the normal when passing through from a less dense medium into a
denser medium, for example from air to glass.
The angle between the incident ray and the normal is named the angle of incidence, i.
The angle between the incident ray and the normal is named the angle of refraction, r.
Denser to Less Dense
Q: What happen when light rays passing through from a denser medium into a less dense medium?
A: Light rays will refract away from the normal when passing through from a denser medium into a less
dense medium, for example, glass to air.
Normal
The Law of Refraction is also known as Snell’s Law. (From dutch mathematician, Willebrord Snell)
Snell’s law states that for a light ray that passes from one transparent medium into another, the ratio of
the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant.
The Law of Refraction is simplified as follows:
= sin i / sin r = n (a constant)
where
i = angle of incidence
r = angle of refraction
n = refractive index
Refractive index can also be represented by the following equation, Snell’s law:
n = sine of the angle of incidence, sin i /sine of the angle of refraction, sin r
The apparent Depth – A swimming Pool Looks Shallower than it Really is.
1. The reflection of light can be studied by using light ray(s) and a plane of mirror which is placed on a
piece of white paper.
image from: http://www.hsphys.com/pmirrb.jpg
2. When the ray of light is incident onto the surface of a plane mirror, the light ray does not pass
through the mirror but it reflected back by the plane mirror.
1. The incident Ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.