Geometrical Optics (ADV)

GEOMETRICAL OPTICS Rg.
2019 - 2021
PREFACE
In this chapter we study the formation of images by mirrors and lenses. We will develop both
algebraic and graphical methods for analyzing images formation and we will extend these
methods to systems with two or more components, such as microscope or telescopes.
The end–of–chapter problems are categorized into four section, namely Exercise–I (objectives
where only one of the option is correct), Exercise–II (objectives where more than one option
may be correct), Exercise–III (matrix matches and paragraph type questions), Exercise–IV
(subjective questions), to help the student assess his understanding of the concept and further
improvise on his problem solving skills. Solutions to all the questions in the booklet are
available and will be provided to the students (at the discretion of the professor). Every
possible attempt has been made to make the booklet flawless. Any suggestions for the
improvement of the booklet would be gratefully accepted and acknowledged.
(Dept. of Physics)
IIT –ian’s PACE
CENTERS : MUMBAI /DELHI /AKOLA /LUCKNOW /NASHIK /PUNE /NAGPUR /BOKARO /DUBAI
GEOMETRICAL OPTICS Rg. 2018 - 2020
CONTENT

No. Section Page

1. THEORY
i. Introduction 301
ii. Reflection 302
iii. Plane Mirrors 306
iv. Spherical Mirrors 310
v. Refraction 319
vi. Prisms 326
vii. Refraction through Spherical surfaces 329
viii. Refraction through lenses 331
2. EXERCISE # I 346 – 351

3. EXERCISE # II 352 – 354
4. EXERCISE # III 355 – 357
5. EXERCISE # IV 357 – 360
6. EXERCISE # V 360 – 371
7. ANSWER KEY 372 – 373
LECTURE FLOW: GEOMETRICAL OPTICS (Board Syllabus Included)

Laws of Regular Reflection, Reflection from Plane Surfaces, Angle between Mirrors,
Lecture 1
No. of Images. Reflection from Curved Surface
Problems based on reflection from Curved Surface, Magnification, Ray Diagrams
Lecture 2 Refraction of Light, Snell's Law, Refractive Index, Refraction through a Plane
Surface, Lateral and Normal Shift, Apparent Velocity
Total Internal Reflection, Refraction through a Prism, Minimum Deviation, Condition

Lecture 3 for no Emergence, , Dispersion through a Prism, Combination of Prisms, Achromatic
Combination, Dispersion without Deviation, Scattering of Light, Rainbow
Lecture 4 Refraction through Curved Surfaces, Thin Lenses

Lenses continued Cutting of Lenses, Silvering of a Lens, Combinations of mirrors
Lecture 5
and thin lenses, Magnification
Photometry and Optical Instruments, Eye- Vision Defects (JEE Main + Board
Lecture 6
Syllabus)
Lecture 7 Problems and Booklet Doubts
CENTERS : MUMBAI /DELHI /AKOLA /LUCKNOW /NASHIK /PUNE /NAGPUR /BOKARO /DUBAI
GEOMETRICAL OPTICS
Introduction: Light and Sight
One thing that we all understand about light is this: without light, there would be no sight. The visual ability
of humans and other animals is the result of the complex interaction of light, eyes and brain. The process of
seeing, in a nutshell, comprises of the following steps:
 Light from an object moves through space and reaches our eyes.
 Once light reaches our eyes, signals are sent to our brain.
 Our brain deciphers the information in order to detect the appearance, location and movement of the
objects we are sighting at.
The objects that we see can be placed into one of two categories:
 Luminous objects
 Non luminous or illuminated objects.
Luminous objects are objects that generate their own light.
Illuminated objects are objects that are capable of reflecting light to our eyes.
The sun is an example of a luminous object, while the moon is an illuminated object. Without the light from
the luminous objects, illuminated objects would not be seen.
Illustration 1: A common Physics demonstration involves the
directing of a laser beam across the room. With the room
lights off, the laser is turned on and its beam is directed
towards a plane mirror. The presence of the light beam cannot
be detected as it travels towards the mirror. Furthermore, the
light beam cannot be detected after reflecting off the mirror
and travelling through the air towards a wall in the room. The
only locations where the presence of the light beam can be
detected are at the location where the light beam strikes the
mirror and at the location where the light beam strikes a wall.
Can you explain this?
Answer
At these two locations, a portion of the light in the beam is reflecting off the objects (the mirror and the wall) and
travelling towards the students' eyes. And since the detection of objects is dependent upon light travelling from that
object to the eye, these are the only two locations where one can detect the light beam. But in between the laser and
the mirror, the light beam cannot be detected. There is nothing present in the region between the laser and the mirror
that is capable of reflecting the light of the beam to students' eyes.
Illustration 2: In the lecture demonstration described above, a student sprays water into the air in the region where
the light beam is moving. The other students can now see the beam. Why?
Answer
Small suspended droplets of water are capable of reflecting light from the beam to your eye. It is only due to the
presence of the suspended water droplets that the light path from the laser to the mirror could be detected. When light
from the laser (a luminous object) strikes the suspended water droplets (the illuminated object), the light is reflected to
students' eyes. The path of the light beam can now be seen.
CENTERS :MUMBAI /DELHI /AKOLA /LUCKNOW /NASHIK /PUNE /NAGPUR /BOKARO /DUBAI # 301
Reflection
The phenomenon of turning back of light, when incident on the boundary of two media (such as air and
glass), is called reflection. Surfaces that cause reflection are known as mirrors or reflectors.
A mirror is a surface which doesn’t allow light to pass through it. Whatever light is incident on it is sent
back into the medium from which it came from. A mirror is typically obtained by polishing one side of a
glass surface and silvering the other side. Light interacts with the polished face of the mirror. Mirrors can be
of two types:
1. Plane Mirrors: The mirror surface is planar.

2. Curved Mirrors: The mirror surface is curved. Curved mirrors can further be divided into two
categories depending upon the convexity of the polished surface.
a. Convex Mirror: The polished surface is convex.
b. Concave Mirrors: The polished surface is concave.
In order to view an object, you must sight along a line at that object; and when you
do light will come from that object to your eye along the line of sight. The directing
of our sight in a specific direction is sometimes referred to as the line of sight.
A luminous object emits light in a variety of directions; and an

illuminated object reflects light in a variety of directions. Although this
light diverges from the object in a variety of directions, your eye only
sees the very small diverging cone of rays that is coming towards it. If
your eye were located at a different location, then you would see a
different cone of rays. Regardless of the eye location, you will still need
to sight along a line in a specific direction in order to view the object.
Hence, to view the image of an object in a mirror, you must sight along a
line at the image. One of the many rays of light from the object will approach the mirror and reflect along
your line of sight to your eye.
Illustration 3: The following diagrams depict some ideas about how light might travel from an object location to an
eye location when the image of the object is viewed in a mirror. Comment on the incorrectness of the following
diagrams. Discuss what makes them incorrect.
(a) (b) (c)
Answer
a. This diagram depicts the eye looking at a location that does not correspond to the image location. The eye must
sight along a line at the image location.
b. This diagram depicts the eye looking at a location that does not correspond to the image location. The eye must
sight along a line at the image location.
c. This diagram depicts light passing through the mirror on the way to the mirror and on the way to the eye. Light
always reflects off the mirror; and never passes through it.
Laws of Reflection
Terminology:
 Point of incidence: The point on the mirror where the

light ray is incident.
 Angle of incidence (i): The angle between the incident
ray and the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence.
 Angle of reflection (r): The angle between the reflected
ray and the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence.
A light ray gets reflected by a smooth surface in accordance

to the following two laws of reflection:
 The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence are coplanar.
 The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, i.e., i  r
These laws are valid at each point on any reflecting surface whether plane or curved.
It just so happens that the light that travels along

the line of sight to your eye follows the law of
reflection. If you were to sight along a line at a
different location than the image location, it
would be impossible for a ray of light to come
from the object, reflect off the mirror according
to the law of reflection, and subsequently travel
to your eye. This is what is happening in diagrams A and B. Only when you sight at the image, does light
from the object reflect off the mirror in accordance with the law of reflection and travel to your eye.
Illustration 4: Consider the diagram at the right. Which one of the angles (A, B, C, or D) is the angle of incidence?
Which one of the angles is the angle of reflection?
Answer:
B,C
Illustration 5: A ray of light is incident towards a plane mirror at an angle of 30 o with

the mirror surface. What will be the angle of reflection?
Answer
60 o
Illustration 6: Perhaps you have observed the image of the sun in the windows of distant buildings near the time
that the sun is rising or setting. However, the image of the sun is not seen in the windows of distant building during
midday. Use the diagram below to explain, drawing appropriate light rays on the diagram.
Answer
A ray of light drawn from the sun's position at

7 pm to the distant window reflects off the
window and travel to the observer's eye. On
the other hand, a ray of light drawn from the 1
pm sun position to the window will reflect and
travel to the ground, never making it to the
distant observer's eye.
Illustration 7: A ray of light is approaching a set of three mirrors as shown in the diagram. The light ray is
approaching the first mirror at an angle of 45-degrees with the mirror surface. Trace the path of the light ray as it
bounces off the mirror. Continue tracing the ray until it finally exits from the mirror system. How many times will
the ray reflect before it finally exits?
Answer
The light reflects twice before it finally exits the system. Draw a normal at the point
of incidence to the first mirror; measure the angle of incidence (45 degrees); then
draw a reflected ray at 45 degrees from the normal. Repeat the process for the second mirror.
Specular Vs Diffused Reflection

Light reflects off surfaces in a very predictable manner - in accordance with the laws of reflection. Once a
normal to the surface at the point of incidence is drawn, the angle of incidence can then be determined. The
light ray will then reflect in such a manner that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. This
predictability concerning the reflection of light is applicable to the reflection of light at horizontal surfaces,
vertical surfaces, angled surfaces, and even curved surfaces. As long as the normal (perpendicular line to the
surface) can be drawn at the point of incidence, the angle of incidence can be measured and the direction of
the reflected ray can be determined. A series of incident rays and their corresponding reflected rays are
depicted in the diagram. Each ray strikes a surface with a different orientation; yet each ray reflects in
accordance with the law of reflection.
Mirrors are typically smooth surfaces, even at the microscopic levels. As such, they offer each individual ray
of light the same surface orientation. But quite obviously, mirrors are not the only types of objects which
light reflects from. Most objects which reflect light are not smooth at the microscopic level. Your clothing,
the walls of most rooms, most flooring, skin, and even paper are all rough when viewed at the microscopic
level.
Reflection off of smooth surfaces such as mirrors

or a calm body of water leads to a type of
reflection known as specular reflection.
Reflection off of rough surfaces such as clothing,
paper, and the asphalt roadway leads to a type of
reflection known as diffuse reflection. Whether
the surface is microscopically rough or smooth
has a tremendous impact upon the subsequent reflection of a beam of light. The diagram depicts two beams
of light incident upon a rough and a smooth surface.
A light beam can be thought of as a bundle of individual light rays which are travelling parallel to each
other. Each individual light ray of the bundle follows the law of reflection. If the bundle of light rays is
incident upon a smooth surface, then the light rays reflect and remain concentrated in a bundle upon leaving
the surface. On the other hand, if the surface is microscopically rough, the light rays will reflect and diffuse
in many different directions.
Illustration 8: Drivers face difficulty in driving at night on a wet asphalt roadway compared to a dry asphalt
roadway. Most drivers are aware of the fact that driving at night on a wet roadway results in an annoying glare
from oncoming headlights. Explain this.
Answer
The glare is the result of the specular reflection of the beam of light from an oncoming car. Normally a roadway
would cause diffuse reflection due to its rough surface. But if the surface is wet, water can fill in the crevices and
smooth out the surface. Rays of light from the beam of an oncoming car hit this smooth surface, undergo specular
reflection and remain concentrated in a beam. The driver perceives an annoying glare caused by this concentrated
beam of reflected light.
Illustration 9: Perhaps you have observed magazines which have glossy pages. The usual microscopically rough
surface of paper has been filled in with a glossy substance to give the pages of the magazine a smooth surface. Do
you suppose that it would be easier to read from rough pages or glossy pages? Explain your answer.
Answer
It is much easier to read from rough pages which provide for diffuse reflection. Glossy pages result in specular
reflection and cause a glare. The reader typically sees an image of the light bulb which illuminates the page. If you
think about, most magazines which use glossy pages are usually the type which people spend more time viewing
pictures than they do reading articles.
Objects & Images

Object is the intersection of the incident rays. If the rays
from a point on an object actually diverge from it and fall on
the optical system, then the object is called a real object. If
the rays incident on the mirror do not start from a point but
appear to converge at a point, then that point is called the virtual object.
Image is defined as point of intersection of the emergent rays after interacting with the optical system. Real
images are those where light actually converges, whereas virtual images are locations from where light
appears to have diverged.
An extended object can be treated as the combination of infinite number of point objects. Images of every
point object will form individually, hence infinite images will form.
Plane Mirrors
An image is formed because light emanates from an object in a variety of directions. Some of this light
(which we represent by rays) reaches the mirror and
reflects off the mirror according to the law of reflection.
Each one of these rays of light can be extended
backwards behind the mirror where they will all intersect
at a point (the image point). Any person who is
positioned along the line of one of these reflected rays
can sight along the line and view the image - a
representation of the object.
In the case of plane mirrors, the image is said to be a virtual

image. Virtual images are images that are formed in locations
where light does not actually reach. Light does not actually
pass through the location on the other side of the mirror; it
only appears to an observer as though the light is coming
from this location.
The second characteristic has to do with the orientation of the

image. If you view an image of yourself in a plane mirror,
you will quickly notice that there is an apparent left-right
reversal of the image. That is, if you raise your left hand, you
will notice that the image raises what would seem to be it's
right hand. If you raise your right hand, the image raises what would seem to be its left hand. This is often
termed left-right reversal. While there is an apparent left-right reversal
of the orientation of the image, there is no top-bottom vertical reversal. If
you stand on your feet in front of a plane mirror, the image does not stand
on its head. The image is said to be upright, as opposed to inverted.
A third characteristic of plane mirror images is that the object distance is

equal to the image distance. This can be proved using similarity of
triangles. If the line joining the object and the image be taken as the x-
axis, v and u be the image and the object coordinates taking P as origin,
then we have v   u .
A fourth and final characteristic of plane mirror images is that the dimensions of the image are the same as
the dimensions of the object. The ratio of the image dimensions to the object dimensions is termed the
magnification. Plane mirrors produce images having unit magnification.
In conclusion, plane mirrors produce images that are

 Virtual
 Upright with respect to the object.
 Left-right reversed
 The same distance from the mirror as the object's distance
 The same size as the object.
A ray diagram is a diagram that traces the path that light takes in order for a person to view a point on the
image of an object. On the diagram, rays (lines with arrows) are drawn for the incident ray and the reflected
ray. Complex objects such as people are often represented by stick figures or arrows. In such cases it is
customary to draw rays for the extreme positions of such objects.
Steps in drawing ray diagrams for plane mirrors
 Draw the image of the object. Use the principle that the object distance is equal to the image distance to
determine the exact location of the object.
 Pick one extreme on the image of the object and draw the reflected ray that will travel to the eye as it
sights at this point.
 Draw the incident ray for light travelling from the corresponding extreme on the object to the mirror.
The incident ray reflects at the mirror's surface according to the law of reflection.
 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all other extremities on the object.
Illustration 10: Draw the ray diagrams for the two situations.
Answer
Illustration 11
Diagram A and Diagram B show the appearance of your image when you sight in one of the single faces of the
mirror. These two plane mirror images exhibit the left-right reversal. Diagram C shows the appearance of the
middle image, sometimes referred to as a secondary image. The secondary image does not exhibit left-right
reversal. Why the difference?
Answer
An image is the location in space where all the reflected light appears to
diverge from. Everyone viewing the image would be sighting at the same
location. Thus, if you were able to sight at the image from at least two
different locations and extend the lines of sight behind the mirror, you would
be able to determine the image location.
The diagram below shows the lines of sight that are required to view the three
different images produced by a right angle mirror system. Lines of sight are
drawn for two different eye locations. When these lines of sight are extended backwards, three intersection points are
made - one for each image
The ray diagram can now be traced as follows:
The ray diagrams for all three images of a right angle mirror are shown in the diagram at the right. Observe that
images #1 and #2 are seen by the eye as the result of a single reflection of light off a single mirror. These are called
primary images. However, image #3 is seen by the eye as the result of a double reflection. This is called a secondary
image. Light must reflect off both mirror surfaces in order to view the secondary image and so must undergo left-right
reversal twice which results in no reversal at all.
IN CHAPTER EXERCISE 1
 What is the minimum height of a mirror required for a person to see his image completely?
Half his height
 If a mirror is rotated by an angle  , by what angle does the reflected ray rotate?
2
Two Mirrors placed at an Angle to Each Other

If two plane mirrors are placed
together on one of their edges
so as to form a right angle
mirror system and then the
angle between them is
decreased, some interesting
observations can be made.
One observes that as the angle between the mirrors decreases,
the number of images that can be seen increases. In fact as the
angle between the mirrors approaches 0 degrees (i.e., the
mirrors are parallel to each other), the number of images
approaches infinity.
The generation of two images is not difficult to explain; each

of the two mirrors produces an image due to the single
reflection of light off one of the mirror faces to an observer's
eye. The remaining images are produced as the result of multiple
reflections of light off more than one of the faces. Right angle mirrors
will allow a maximum of two reflections of light from the object. But as
the angle decreases, three, four, and even more reflections can occur.
Determining the image locations for such multiple mirror systems can
become complicated. First determine the location of the primary images
using the principle that the image distance to the mirror is the same as the
object distance to the mirror. Each primary image forms a secondary
image as a result of a double reflection. By extending one of the mirror
lines, a primary image can be reflected across the second mirror line to
form a secondary image - an image of an image. As an example, consider
the diagram below for an object placed between two plane mirrors that
make a 60 o angle. Images I1 and I 2 are primary images formed by the
two plane mirrors. Image I3 was found by reflecting image I2 across the extension of the top mirror. And
image I 4 was found by reflecting the image I1 across the side mirror. The process can be repeated to
determine the location of an image of an image of an image.
With two plane mirrors oriented at a nearly 50 o angle to one another, six different images are formed of an
object.
When the two mirrors are aligned at a 0 o angle with

each other (i.e., a parallel mirror system), there are
an infinite number of images. Each image is the
result of an image of an image, or an image of an
image of an image or an image of an image of .The diagram below shows the multiple images for a parallel
mirror system. Images I1 and I2 are primary images. Image I1 is the image resulting from the reflection of
the object 0 across mirror M1 and image I2 is the image resulting from the reflection of the object 0 across
mirror. M2 Image I3 is an image of image I1 , found by reflecting image I1 across mirror M2 . Image I4 is an
image of image I 2 ; found by reflecting image I 2 across mirror M1 . This process could continue indefinitely,
producing images of images for an infinite number of images.
Spherical Mirrors
A spherical mirror is a part cut out of a large hollow sphere.

Usually spherical mirrors are made with a circular boundary.
Depending on which surface is reflecting, spherical mirrors are
of two types
Concave Mirror: It has a reflecting surface that bulges inward

(away from the incident light).
Convex mirror: It has a reflecting surface that bulges outward (away from the incident light).
Terminology:
 Centre of Curvature (C): The centre of the sphere of which the mirror is a part. Please note that the
centre of curvature is not a part of the mirror. It lies outside its
reflecting surface. The centre of curvature of a concave mirror
lies in front of it. However, it lies behind the mirror in case of a
convex mirror.
 Radius of Curvature: The radius of the sphere of which the
mirror is a part.
 Pole (P): Geometrical centre of the mirror surface.
 Principal Axis: the line joining C and P. Remember that principal axis is normal to the mirror at its pole.
 Paraxial Rays: A ray close to the principal axis. They are incident at points close to the pole P of the
mirror and make small angles with the principal axis.
 Focus (F): The point where a paraxial beam parallel to the
principal axis converges or appears to diverge from, after
reflection. In the case of concave mirror, the beam converges
at the focus and for convex mirror, they appear to diverge
from the focus.
Although the focus is conceptually a point, practically it has a

spatial extent, called the blur circle.
 Focal Length: distance of the focus from the pole.
 Focal Plane: A plane through the focus and perpendicular to
the principal axis.
Image Tracing
In principle, we can take any two rays emanating from a point on an object, trace their paths, find their point
of intersection and thus, obtain the image of the point due to reflection at a spherical mirror. In practice,
however, it is convenient to choose any two of the following rays for point objects placed on the principal
axis:
1. Draw one ray along the principal axis, incident on the mirror at the pole. This ray is incident normally on
the mirror and hence will be reflected along the principal axis. As the image is the intersection of at least
two reflected rays, it follows that the image must lie on the principal axis only.
2. Draw a second ray and reflect it in accordance to laws of reflection.
3. The intersection of the two reflected rays (actual or produced backwards) gives the image.
For extended objects placed with one end on the principal axis, the image of that end is formed on the
principal axis. To trace the image of the tip of the object, use any two of the following rays:
1. A ray parallel to principal axis passes (or appear to pass) through focus after reflection.
2. A ray passing through or directed towards focus after reflection from the spherical mirror becomes
parallel to the principal axis.
3. A ray passing through or directed towards the centre of curvature, after reflection from the spherical
mirror, retraces its path.
The stepwise construction of a ray diagram is illustrated below
Image positions for different Object positions
Concave mirror
Object Image Ray Diagram
At infinity At the focus F
Highly diminished, point-sized
Real and inverted
Beyond C Between F and C

Diminished
Real and inverted
At C At C
Same size
Real and inverted
Between C and F Beyond C

Enlarged
Real and inverted
At F At infinity
Highly enlarged
Real and inverted
Between P and F Behind the mirror

Enlarged
Virtual and erect
It might be noted from the above descriptions that there is a relationship between the object distance and object size
and the image distance and image size.
 Starting from a large value, as the object distance decreases (i.e., the object is moved closer to the mirror), the
image distance increases; meanwhile, the image height increases.
 At the centre of curvature, the object distance equals the image distance and the object height equals the image
height.
 As the object distance approaches one focal length, the image distance and image height approaches infinity.
 Finally, when the object distance is equal to exactly one focal length, there is no image.
 Then altering the object distance to values less than one focal length produces images that are upright, virtual and
located on the opposite side of the mirror.
 Finally, if the object distance approaches 0, the image distance approaches 0 and the image height ultimately
becomes equal to the object height.
These patterns are depicted in the diagram below. Nine different object locations are drawn and labelled with a
number; the corresponding image locations are labelled with the identical number.
Convex mirror
At infinity At F, behind the mirror
Virtual and erect
Between infinity, Between P and F

and the pole of the mirror Diminished
Virtual and erect
As the object distance is decreased, the image distance is decreased and the image size is increased. So as an object
approaches the mirror, its virtual image on the opposite side of the mirror approaches the mirror as well; and at the
same time, the image is becoming larger
Cartesian Sign Convention
 All distances are measured from the pole of the mirror. The pole is taken as the origin.
 The distances measured in the same direction as the incident light are taken as positive and those
measured in the direction opposite to the direction of incident light are taken as negative.
 The heights measured upwards with respect to x-axis and normal to the principal axis (x-axis) of the
mirror lens are taken as positive. The heights measured downwards are taken as negative.
Focus is +ve in case of convex mirror while it is -ve in case of concave mirror for the following situation.
Mirror Formula
1 1 1
 
v u f
R  2f
Derivation
Consider the figure shown. Here,
0: Object.
I: Image.
CA: The normal to the mirror at A .
From OAC and OAI , we have      and   2   ,
which gives     2 . For small aperture,  , ,   0 , and we
AP AP AP
can write 
,  and  . This gives
PO PC PI
AP AP AP 1 1 1 1 1 2
        .
PO PI PC PO PI PC  u v R
1 1 2
  
v u R
If u   , i.e., if the object O is taken to a very far distance from P, then the incident rays are nearly parallel, and
1 1 2
so they converge at the focus, i.e.,   f . Using this we get   which gives
f  R
R  2f
i.e., the focus is the midway between the pole and the centre of curvature.
Using this in equation we get
1 1 1
 
v u f
This is also called the mirror formula. The same formula is obtained if we use a convex mirror instead of concave.
A plane mirror can be treated as a spherical mirror with infinite radius of curvature. Using the mirror
1 1 2
formula, we get    v   u , which is what we got for plane mirrors.
v u 
Illustration 12: The famous Chinese magician, Foo Ling Yu, conducts a classic magic trick utilizing a concave
mirror with a focal length of 1.6 m. Foo Ling Yu is able to use the mirror in such a manner as to produce an image
of a light bulb at the same location and of the same size as the actual light bulb itself. Use complete sentences to
explain how Foo is able to accomplish this magic trick. Be specific about the light bulb location.
Answer
Foo Ling Yu has probably placed the object at the centre of curvature - a distance of 3.2 meters from the mirror. When
Foo does this, a real image is formed at the same location and of the same size.
Lateral Magnification
The magnitude of lateral magnification gives the ratio of the height of the image to the height of the object.
Mathematically its defined by
hi
m
h0
h i :Y  coordinate of the tip of the image.
h 0 : Y  coordinate of the tip of the object.
Although many times the phrases “height of image” and “height of object” are used, we should take it to
mean the Y-coordinates.
In terms of object and image distance,
hi v f
m  
h0 u fu
The sign of magnification reflects the nature of the image formed. A +ve magnification means an erect
image, whereas a –ve magnification means an inverted image.
In case of successive reflection from mirrors, the overall lateral magnification is given by m  m1m 2 m 3 ...
where m1 , m 2 , m 3 ,... etc. are lateral magnifications produced by individual mirrors.
Power of a Mirror
The power of a mirror is defined as
1
P
f
Here f should be taken in metres with proper sign (-ve for concave and +ve for convex) to get the power in
dioptres (D).The power of the mirror is dependent on the focal length, which in turn is governed by the
radius of curvature which is unique for a mirror once it is constructed. Hence power of a mirror is
independent of the medium in which it is placed.
As a plane mirror can be treated as a curved mirror of infinite radius of curvature, power of a plane mirror is
zero.
Illustration 13: A 4.0-cm tall light bulb is placed a distance of 8.3 cm from a concave mirror having a focal length
of 15.2 cm. Determine the image distance and the image size.
Solution
h 0  4cm, u  8.3cm and f  15.2 cm
To determine the image distance, the mirror equation will have to be used
1 1 1
   v  18.2cm
15.2 v 8.3
Positive sign of implies that the image is on the other side of mirror, i.e, it is virtual.
To determine the image height, the magnification equation is needed.
hi v h 18.2
  i   h i  8.8cm
h0 u 4 8.3
The image will be virtual, magnified, upright, 8.8-cm tall and located 18.2 cm behind the mirror.
Illustration 14: A plane mirror is placed 22.5 cm in front of a concave mirror

of focal length 10 cm. Find where an object can be placed between the two
mirrors, so that the first image in both the mirrors coincide.
Solution
As shown in figure, if the object is placed at a distance x from the concave
mirror, its distance from the plane mirror will be 22.5  x . So, plane mirror will
form equal and erect image of object at a distance 22.5  x behind the mirror.
As the image formed by concave mirror coincides with the image formed by concave mirror, it forms the image at a
distance 45  x .
1 1 1
    x  30,15
  45  x  x 10
But as the distance between two mirrors is 22.5 cm, x  30 cm is not admissible. So the object must be at a distance
of 15 cm from concave mirror.
Illustration 15: Find the velocity of image in situation as shown in fig

Solution

Velocity of object, v 0  9iˆ  12ˆj

Velocity of mirror, v M   2iˆ
  
Velocity of object relative to mirror, vOM  v 0  v M  11iˆ  12ˆj
f 20
m   2
f  u 20   30 
1 1 1 dv du
    m 2
v u f dt dt
dm
 v IM,x  m 2 v 0 M,x  v1M,y  h 0  mv 0M,y
dt
Now, h 0  0 , so
v1M,y  mv 0M,y  2 12   24

So we get, v IM  44iˆ  24jˆ ,
  
v I  v IM  v M  46iˆ  24ˆj
dm
Remark: If in any question, h 0 isn’t zero, then can be calculated as follows:
dt
f dm f du f
m    v 0M,x .
fu dt  f  u  dt  f  u 2
2
In Chapter Exercise 2
 Determine the image distance and image height for a 5.00-cm tall object placed 45.0 cm from a concave mirror
having a focal length of 15.0 cm.
22.5 cm and 2.5 cm tall, inverted.
 An inverted image is magnified by 2 when the object is placed 22 cm in front of a concave mirror. Determine the
image distance and the focal length of the mirror.
44 cm and 14.7
 A magnified, inverted image is located a distance of 32.0 cm from a concave mirror with a focal length of 12.0
cm. Determine the object distance and tell whether the image is real or virtual.
19.2 cm and Real
 A focal point is located 20.0 cm from a convex mirror. An object is placed 12 cm from the mirror. Determine the
image distance.
7.5 cm
 In the figure shown if the object ‘O’ moves towards the plane mirror, then in which
direction will the image I (which is formed after successive reflections from M1 & M2
respectively) move towards __________
Right
Images formed by Multiple Mirrors

If rays after getting reflected from one mirror strikes second mirror, the image that will be formed by the
first mirror will serve as the object for the second mirror. This image will then serve as object for the third
mirror; so on and so forth.
Illustration 16: Find the co-ordinates of image of point object P

formed after two successive reflections in situation as shown.
Considering first reflection at concave mirror and then at convex
mirror.
Solution
For reflection at M1 , the pole of M1 is the origin and its principal axis
is the x-axis.
1 1 1 h 60
   v1  60cm Now, i    h i  6mm
v1 20 15 2 20
Hence the coordinates of P' are  60cm, 6mm  .
For reflection at M2 , the pole of M 2 is taken as the origin and its principal axis as the x-axis.
1 1 1
u2  10cm, h 0  8mm    v 2  20cm
v 2 10 20
Hence the image is at a distance of 30 cm from M1 .
h 'i 20
  h 'i  16mm
8 10
So, the tip of the image is at a distance 14 mm from the principal
axis of M1
Hence, relative to the pole of M1 , the coordinates of the image are
 30cm, 14mm 
Refraction
The phenomenon of the bending of a light ray incident at the boundary separating two transparent media
while changing the medium is called refraction. Refraction occurs due to change in the speed of light across
the boundary.
Refractive Index
Light travels at different speeds in different optical media. Refractive index of a medium is a quantitative
measure of how fast the ray travels in that medium. The refractive index of a medium is the ratio of the
speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in that medium.
c

v
c: Speed of light in vacuum; v: Speed of light in the medium.
Higher the refractive index of a medium, slower light travels in that medium and vice versa.
From the definition it follows that refractive index of vacuum is unity. The refractive index of air is only
slightly higher, and for most practical cases we take it as unity. Amongst two media of different refractive
indices, the medium with higher refractive index is called optically denser medium or simply denser
medium, and the medium with lower refractive index is called optically rarer medium or simply rarer
medium.
Optical density should not be confused with mass density, which is mass per unit volume. It is possible that
mass density of an optically denser medium may be less than that of an optically rarer medium. For
example, turpentine and water. Mass density of turpentine is less than that of water but its refractive index is
higher.
Often the refractive index of a medium is specified relative to another medium. Relative refractive index of
medium 1 relative to medium 2 is defined as

 21  2
1
Laws of Refraction
The angle of incidence (i) and refraction (r) are measured from the normal to the common
boundary, at the point of incidence. Refraction is governed by the following two laws:
 The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence
are coplanar.
 Snell’s Law
The ratio of sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is a constant for a given pair of
media and a given wavelength of light.
sin i v1  2
 
sin r v 2 1
Derivation
The Laws of Refraction across the boundary of two media can be derived from Fermat’s principle of least time,
which states that:
A ray of light in traversing from one point to another, regardless of the media, adopts such a route, out of all
possible routes, which takes the least time.
A
i
a d- x 1
x c 2
b
r
B
Consider the two points A and B as shown in the figure. Between the points A and B, the shortest path is obtained
when the incident and the refracted ray are coplanar. This leads to the first law of refraction.
Provided that incident and the refracted rays are coplanar, the time taken by the light ray to travel from point A to B
via an arbitrary point C is
2
a2  x2 b2   d  x 
T 
v1 v2
where a and b are the perpendicular distances of the points A and B from the interface, d is the horizontal distance
between them, and x is the horizontal distance between A and C.
dT x dx
According to Fermat’s principle, this time should be least, i.e. 0 
dx 2
v1 a  x 2
v2 b   d  x 
2 2
sin i v1  2
  
sin r v 2 1
sin i 2
If light passes from a denser to a rarer medium, then   1  sin i  sin r  i  r i
sin r 1 Rarer
Denser
i.e. On passing from a rarer to a denser medium the ray bends towards the normal.
r
If light passes from a rarer to a denser medium, then

sin i 2 i
  1  sin i  sin r  i  r , i.e. On passing from a denser to a rarer Denser
sin r 1
Rarer r
medium the ray bends away from the normal.
Normal Incidence: If the ray of light is incident along the normal, then i  0 . By law of reflection it follows
that r = i = 0, i.e, a ray of light incident normally passes undeviated across the boundary.
Illustration 17
An observer can see through a pin hole at the top end of a thin rod of height h, placed
as shown in the figure. The beakers height is 3h and its radius is h. When the beaker is
filled with a liquid up to a height2h, he can see the lower end of the rod. What is the
refractive index of the liquid? 3h
Solution h
1
2h
sin i 1 1
  5 
sin r  1 
2
5

2 h
3h 45°
h
\\A ray of light is travelling through air (n = 1.00) towards a Lucite block (n = 1.40) in the
shape of a 30-60-90 triangle. Trace the path of the light ray through the Lucite block shown
in the diagram below.
Refraction across Multiple Plane Boundaries

If the ray passes through a number of parallel interfaces as shown,  i1
1
sin i1 2 sin i 2 3 sin i3  4
then we have  ,  ,  , so on and so i2 i2
sin i 2 1 sin i3 2 sin i 4 3 2
forth. This can be simplified to the following result: i3 i3
3
1 sin i1  2 sin i2  3 sin i3  ...
i4
or, 4 i4
r sin ir  const.; r  1,2,3... 5
i5
i.e., the product of the refractive index and the sine of the incident
angle remains constant across multiple parallel boundaries.
 A concave mirror is placed on a horizontal table, with its axis directed vertically upwards. Let O be the pole of
the mirror and C its centre of curvature. A point object is placed at C. It has a real image, also located at C (a
condition called auto-collimation). If the mirror is now filled with water, the image will be:____________.
Real, and located at a point between C and O
Refraction through a Rectangular Glass Slab

Applying the result r sin i r  const, we get
sin i1   sin r1  1.sin r2  i1  r2 , i.e, the emergent ray
is parallel to the incident ray; there is no deviation, but
it does suffer lateral displacement/ shift with respect to
the incident ray.
The lateral shift AM    can be calculated as follows.

  ABsin  i  r   ANsec r sin  i  r 
t sin  i  r 
 
cos r
Particular Cases
 When i  0 (Normal incidence)
 r  1
  t  i  r   ti  1    ti  1  
 t  

 When i  (Grazing incidence )
2
t
Near Normal Viewing

If the line of sight is very close to the normal, then it is called near
normal viewing. When the object is in different medium and observer
is in different medium, then the object seems to be shifted from its
original position due to refraction.
If the observer receives rays which are very close to the normal, then
the object seems
 Nearer to the observer if object is in denser medium. The image
distance from the refracting boundary increases.
 Farther to the observer if object is in rarer medium. The image
distance from the refracting boundary decreases.
 2 sin i tan i v
  
1 sin r tan r u
2
v u
1
Thus, the distance increases or decreases according as the ray goes
from rarer to denser or vice versa respectively.
Illustration 18: A fish rising vertically to the surface of water in a lake uniformly at the rate of 3 m/s observes a
bird coming down with a speed 9 m/s vertically above it. If the refractive index of water is 4/3 find the actual
velocity of the dive of the bird.
Solution I
If at any instant the fish is at the depth x below fish water surface while the bird at a
height y above the surface, then the distance of the image of the bird from the B y
surface is y . The total distance between the bird and the fish is
dh dx dy 4 y
h  x  y      9  3  vb
dt dt dt 3
x
where vb is the velocity of the bird relative to earth. This gives
F
vb  4.5m s
Illustration 19: A vessel of depth H is filled with a non-homogenous liquid whose refractive index varies with depth
y
y as   1  What is the apparent depth as seen by an observer from above?
H
Solution
Let us consider a thin layer of thickness dy at a depth y. Apparent thickness of this
dy H dy
elementary layer dH  .Hence the apparent depth H    H ln 2 .
 0 y
1
H
 A person looking through a telescope just sees a point on the rim at the bottom
of a cylindrical vessel when the vessel is empty. When the vessel is
completely filled with a liquid    1.5  , he observes a mark at the centre of
the vessel. What is the height of the vessel if the diameter of its cross-section
is 10cm?
8.45 cm
Critical Angle& Total Internal Reflection
When a ray of light goes from denser medium to a rarer
medium, the angle of refraction (r) is greater than the
angle of incidence (i). If the angle of i is increased, r
may eventually become 900 . This angle of incidence is
called the critical angle  iC  .by Snell’s Law we have
sin iC  r

 d
sin
2
r
 iC  sin 1
d
Generally critical angle is quoted for light going from the medium to air. In such cases,
1
iC  sin 1

If i is increased further, there is no r that

can satisfy Snell’s Law. Hence, the ray isn’t
refracted; rather it is reflected back into the
first medium. This phenomenon is called
Total Internal Reflection (TIR).Optical
fibres are based on the principle of total
internal reflection.
Relatively speaking, the critical angle for
the diamond-air boundary is an extremely
small number. Of all the possible
combinations of materials that could
interface to form a boundary, the combination of diamond and air provides one of the largest differences in
the index of refraction values. This means that there will be a very small nr/ni ratio and subsequently a small
critical angle. This peculiarity about the diamond-air boundary plays an important role in the brilliance of a
diamond gemstone. Having a small critical angle, light has the tendency to become "trapped" inside of a
diamond once it enters. A light ray will typically undergo TIR several times before finally refracting out of
the diamond. Because the diamond-air boundary has such a small critical angle (due to diamond's large
index of refraction), most rays approach the diamond at angles of incidence greater than the critical angle.
This gives diamond a tendency to sparkle. The effect can be enhanced by the cutting of a diamond gemstone
with a strategically planned shape. The diagram depicts the total internal reflection within a diamond
gemstone with a strategic and a non-strategic cut.
Illustration 20: Some optical instruments, such as periscopes and binoculars use
trigonal prisms instead of mirrors to reflect light around corners. Light typically
enters perpendicular to the face of the prism, undergoes TIR off the opposite face
and then exits out the third face. Why do you suppose the manufacturer prefers
the use of prisms instead of mirrors?
Answer
A prism will allow light to undergo total internal reflection whereas a mirror allows
light to both reflect and refract. So for a prism, 100 percent of the light is reflected.
But for a mirror, only about 95 percent of the light is reflected. For these reasons, a
prism will produce a brighter image due to the greater percent of light being reflected.
Illustration 21: A ray of light from a denser medium strikes a rarer medium at an
angle of incidence i. If the reflected and the refracted rays are mutually
perpendicular to each other, what is the value of the critical angle?
Solution

As the reflected and the refracted rays are perpendicular, r   i . From Snell’s
2
sin i   
Law we have  r  r  cot i . Now, sin iC  r  cot i  iC  sin 1 cot i
 d
sin  i  d d
2
Illustration 22
A ray incident at a point at an angle of incidence of 600 enters a glass P
sphere (refractive index 3 ) and is reflected & refracted at the farther
60°
surface of the sphere. What is the angle between the refracted and the
r1
r2 Q
reflected ray?
r2 i2
Solution
3 
At P, 2  3  r1  300  r2  300
sin r1
1
1
For refraction at Q, 2 
' 0
 i2  600 For reflection at Q, r2  r2  30
sin i2 3
0 ' 0
Hence,   180  r2  r2  90
 A point source of light a placed at the bottom of a tank containing a liquid of refractive index . The level of the
liquid is at a height h above the bottom of the tank. A bright circular spot is seen on the surface of the liquid when
viewed from above. Find the radius of the spot. What fraction of light escapes the liquid?
h 1 1 
, 1  1  
2  1 2  2 
Prisms
The figure shows refraction from a prism.
Terminology:
 A: Angle of the prism.
 i: Angle of incidence.
 e: Angle of emergence.
 r1 , r2 : Angles of refraction at the prism faces.
  : Angle of deviation.
From the figure we get,
r1  r2    A  
 r1  r2  A
The angle of deviation can be expressed as
   i - r1    i2  e   i +e -  r1  r2 
  ie A
Angle of Minimum Deviation

As can be seen from the graph of  vsi, the deviation takes a
minimum value  min . This occurs when i = e and r1  r2 , i.e., when
the ray passes symmetrically through the prism, the deviation is
minimum.
As   i  e  A , and i = e for minimum deviation, we have
A  m
 min  2i  A  i  . Also as r1  r2 , and r1  r2  A , we have
2
A sin i
r1  r2  . Using   , we have
2 sin r2
A  min
sin
 2
A
sin
2
For small angle prisms, A and min are both small, and we can write
A   min
 2
A
2
  min     1 A
It implies that, thin prisms do not deviate light much.
Illustration 23: Can we have same deviation for more than one angle of incidence for a prism?
Answer
It can be easily seen that if we reverse the emergent ray, it goes back along the same path. The angles of incidence and
emergence get interchanged but the angle of deviation remains the same.
Thus the same angle of deviation  is possible for two different angles of incidence: i and e such that i  e  A   .
Illustration 24: A ray of light is incident on one face of a prism (µ = 1.5) at an angle
of 600 . The refracting angle of the prism is also 600 . Find the angle of emergence
and the angle of deviation. Is there any other angle of incidence which will produce
the same deviation?
Solution:
sin 600 1.5 1 1  1 1
At P,   sin r1   r1  sin 1 . Hence, r2   sin .
sin r1 1 3 3 3 3
sin r2 1 3
At Q,   e  sin 1 r 2
sin e 1.5 2
3  1 
 e  sin 1   sin 1 
2 3 3

If i and e are interchanged, deviation remains the same. These same deviations are obtained for angles of incidence
3
3
1 1 
and sin   sin 1 .
2 3 3
Dispersion
Refractive index depends slightly on the wavelength of light
passing through it. This relationship is summarised by
Cauchy’s Formula.
A
  0  2

where A is a small positive constant known as Cauchy’s
constant.
Visible light is composed of various wavelengths, of which violet has the least wavelength and red has the
maximum. Hence, while passing through a medium, the refractive index is more for violet than for red,
which in turn implies that violet light will be bent more than red. This causes white light to be separate into
its constituent colours. This phenomenon of splitting up of white light into constituent colours is called
dispersion.
Dispersion is typically observed when light passes through a prism.
Angular dispersion is the angle between the extreme rays of dispersed

colour band, violet and red.
  v   r    v   r  A
The ratio of (angular) dispersion to the deviation of the mean ray
(yellow) is called the dispersive power   of the prism.
 v  r
 
y y 1
Dispersion without Average Deviation

Consider the two prism placed adjacent to each other as shown,
with their refracting angles reversed. If the system produces no net
deviation of the mean (yellow) ray, then we have
 y
 1 A   y  1 A
Deviation without Dispersion (Achromatic Combination of Prisms)

Since the combination doesn’t produce any net
angular dispersion
    0
   v   r  A   v   r  A   0
or
    0
Illustration 25: Find the angle of a prism of dispersive

power 0.021 and refractive index 1.53 to form on achromatic combination with the prism of angle 4.20 and
dispersive power 0.045 having refractive index 1.65. Also calculate the resultant deviation.
Solution
For no dispersion,     0      1 A      1 A  0  A  11.4
0
Net deviation          1 A    1 A  3.12

0
Refraction through Spherical Surfaces

Similar to refraction at plane surfaces, light refracts across curved boundaries following the same two laws
of refraction as in plane surfaces. We, however, will deal with refraction of paraxial rays mostly.

 The line joining the object and the centre is taken as the X-axis, with the point of intersection of the axis
and the spherical surface as the origin.
 The +ve direction of X-axis is generally chosen along the direction of the incident rays.
 The quantities u, v and R denote the x-coordinates of the object, image and the centre respectively,
though we commonly call them object distance, image distance and radius respectively.
 If lengths perpendicular to the X-axis are needed, then we use the Y-axis, usually taking the upwards +ve.
Relationship between u, v, f and R

 2 1  2  1
 
v u R
Derivation
Consider the figure shown. Here,
1 , 2 : Refractive indices of the media 1 and 2 respectively,
separated by the spherical boundary AB.
O: Object placed.
I: Image.
P: Point of intersection of the axis and the spherical surface.
CA: The normal to the mirror at A.
sin i 2
From ODC and DIC , we have     i and r     . Using Snell’s Law, we have  . For paraxial
sin r 1
rays, , , , i, r  0 , which reduces the Snell’s Law equation to
DP DP
s 1i   2 r  1       2       1  2     2  1   . As , ,   0 , we can write   ,  and
PO PC
DP     1     1
 . Using this we get 2  1  2  2 1  2
PI PI PO PC v u R
 2 1  2  1
  
v u R
Since the proper sign convention has been used, this formula is valid for all other possible cases, although we have
derived it for a specific case.
This equation is valid for all refracting surfaces convex, concave or plane. In case of plane refracting surface

R   , and we get the familiar result v = 2 u which we got for near normal viewing across plane
1
boundaries.
Illustration 25: A transparent rod 40 cm long is cut at one end and rounded to a hemispherical surface 12 cm
radius at the other end. A small object is embraced within the rod along its axis and half way between its ends.
When viewed from the flat end of the rod, the object appears 12.5 cm deep. What is its apparent depth when the
object viewed from curved end?
Solution
Case I: When the object viewed from the flat surface:
Real depth of the object = 20 cm.
20
Apparent depth   12.5    1.6 .

Case II: When the object is viewed the curved surface:
Here the refraction is taking place at the single curved surface.
So we will use the equation for refraction at curved surfaces.
1 1.6 1  1.6
   v = –33.3 cm
v 20 12
Hence the object appears 33.3 cm deep from the curved surface.
hi
m
h0
hi : Y – coordinate of the tip of the image.

h0 : Y – coordinate of the tip of the object.
hi 1v
In terms of u and v, m= 
h0  2u
 A glass rod has ends as shown in figure, the
refractive index of glass is . The object
point O is at a distance 2R from the surface
of larger radius of curvature. The distance
between the apexes of the ends is 3R. Show
R  9  4 
that the image point of 0 is formed at a distance of .
10  9    2 
Refraction through Lenses
A lens is made of a transparent material bounded by at
least one curved surface. Lenses can be thought of as a
series of tiny refracting prisms, each of which refracts
light to produce their own image. When these prisms
act together, they produce a bright image focused at a
point.
The curved surfaces may be both concave, or both
convex, or one convex & other concave. According to
what the situation is they are named as following.
When the thickness of the lens is small as compared to other dimensions (image distance, object distance,
etc.) involved, we call it a thin lens. If the curved surfaces are parts of spheres, then we call it a spherical
lens. We shall mostly be studying thin spherical lenses.
Terminology
 C1 and C2 : The two centres of curvatures of the two spherical surfaces.
 R1 and R 2 : Corresponding radii of curvature of the two spherical surfaces.
 Principal Axis: the line joining C1 and C2 .
 Optical Centre: the centre of the lens lying on the principal axis.
 Focus
A narrow beam of paraxial rays parallel to the principal
axis of the lens undergo refraction twice on the two
surfaces of the lens and come out. The emergent rays
may converge at a point or appear to diverge from a
point F2 as shown. In the first case, the lens is called a
converging lens and in the other it is called diverging
lens, and the point F2 is called the second focus of the
lens. The distance PF2 is called the second focal
length of the lens.
The first focus F1 of the lens is that point where rays
from a point object emerge parallel to the principal
axis. For a converging lens, such an object is real
whereas for a diverging lens the object is virtual. The
distance PF1 is called the first focal length of the
lens.
If the media on both sides of the lens are the same then the two focal lengths are equal. In general, the
second focus is used to describe the lens. The terms focus and focal length of a lens should be taken to
mean the second focal length of the lens.
Image Tracing
For extended objects placed with one end on the principal axis, the image of that end is formed on the
principal axis. To trace the image of the tip of the object, use one of the following rays:
1. A ray passing through the optical centre of the lens proceeds undeviating through the lens.
2. A ray passing parallel to the principal axis after refraction through the lens passes or appears to pass
through the focus.
3. A ray through the focus or directed towards the focus, after refraction from the lens, becomes parallel to
the principal axis.
Image Formation for Different Object Positions
Convex Lens
At infinity At F2
Real and inverted
Beyond 2F1 Between F2 and 2F2

Diminished
Real and inverted
At 2F1 At 2F2
Same size
Real and inverted
Between F1 and 2F1 Beyond 2F2

Enlarged
Real and inverted
At F1 At infinity
Infinitely large or highly enlarged
Real and inverted
Between F1 and optical centre On the same side of the lens as the
object
Enlarged
Virtual and erect
It might be noted from the above descriptions that there is a relationship between the object distance and object size
and the image distance and image size.
 Starting from a large value, as the object distance decreases (i.e., the object is moved closer to the lens), the image
distance increases; meanwhile, the image height increases.
 At the 2F point, the object distance equals the image distance and the object height equals the image height.
 As the object distance approaches one focal length, the image distance and image height approaches infinity.
 Finally, when the object distance is equal to exactly one focal length, there is no image.
 Then altering the object distance to values less than one focal length produces images that are upright, virtual and
located on the same side of the lens as the object.
 Finally, if the object distance approaches 0, the image distance approaches 0 and the image height ultimately
becomes equal to the object height.
These patterns are depicted in the diagram below
Concave Lens
At infinity At focus F1
Virtual and erect
Between infinity and optical Between focus F1 and optical

centre O centre O
of the lens Diminished
Virtual and erect
As the object distance is decreased, the image distance is decreased and the image size is increased. So as an object
approaches the lens, its virtual image on the same side of the lens approaches the lens as well; and at the same time,
the image becomes larger.

 All distances are measured from the optical centre of the lens. The optic centre is taken as the origin.
 The distances measured in the same direction as the incident light are taken as positive and those
measured in the direction opposite to the direction of incident light are taken as negative.
 The heights measured upwards with respect to x-axis and normal to the principal axis (x-axis) of the lens
are taken as positive. The heights measured downwards are taken as negative.
Lens Maker’s Formula & Lens Formula

Lens Maker’s Formula
1  1 1 
   21  1   
f  R1 R 2 
Lens Formula
1 1 1
 
v u f
Derivation
We can treat a thin lens as two a combination successive
refracting surfaces placed very close to each other.
For the first refraction at ADB, we can write
 2 1  2  1
  (1)
v1 u R1
where v1 is the x-coordinate of I1 relative to Das the origin, for
the second refraction we must take E as the origin. As the lens is thin, the points D and E are very close and the x-
coordinate of I1 remains the same relative toE. For the second refraction, I1 behaves as a virtual object and we can
write
 2 1 1   2
  (2)
v v1 R2
Adding these two equations we get
1 1  1 1 
    21  1    (3)
v u  R1 R 2 
If    , i.e., if the object O is taken to a very far distance from P, then the incident rays are nearly parallel, and so
1 1  1 1 
the image is formed at the focus, i.e., v = f. Using this we get     21  1   
f   R1 R 2 
1  1 1 
    21  1   
f  R1 R 2 
This is called the Lens Makers Formula as it dictates what radii of curvature are needed for manufacturing a lens of a
desired focal length. Combining this equation with (1) we get
1 1 1
 
v u f
This is called the Lens Formula.
hi
m=
h0
h1 : Y – coordinate of the tip of the image.

h0 : Y – coordinate of the tip of the object.
In terms of u and v,
hi v f
m=  
h0 u f +u
Derivation
hi OQ OP v v
This can be shown as follows: m      .
h0 OQ OP u u
Power of a Lens
The power of a mirror is defined as
1
P
f
Here f should be taken in metres with proper sign (-ve for concave and +ve for convex) to get the power in
dioptres (D).As the focal length of a converging lens is +ve and that of a diverging lens –ve, the power of a
converging lens is positive and that of a negative lens is negative. Physically power of a lens can be
understood as follows: Smaller the focal length of the lens, more is the power, i.e, the more ray is bent by
the lens (smaller the focal length), more powerful it is.
In a given medium of refractive index , the power of the lens is defined as

P
f
where f is the focal length of the lens in the medium.
Illustration 26: Calculate the focal length of a biconvex lens in air, if the radii of its surfaces are 60 cm and 15 cm.
Refractive index of glass = 1.5.
Solution:
Using the lens makers formula, we have
1  1.5   1 1 
  1     f  24 cm
f  1   60 15 
Illustration 27: Determine the image distance and image height for a 5-cm tall object placed 45.0 cm from a double
convex lens having a focal length of 15.0 cm.
Solution
1 1 1
Applying the lens formula, we have    v = 22.5 cm
v 45 15
hi 22.5
Further,   hi  2.5 cm
5 45
+ve v means that the image is formed on the other side of the lens, and –ve hi means that it is inverted.
Illustration 28: Find the velocity of image relative to ground for the situation shown.
Solution
f = 30 cm
f 30
m  3 (lens is at rest given
f  u 30  20 5m / s velocity w.r.t ground)
1 1 1 dv v 2 du 20 cm
     m2 vOL, x  45 m/s
v u f dt u 2 dt
dhi dm
hi  mho   ho  mvoL, y
dt dt
dm
 vI L , y  h0  mvOL, y
dt
But, ho  0 , and voL , y  0 , so viL , y  0
So, vIL  45 m/s and as the lens is at rest, this is the velocity relative to ground.
Illustration 29: A convex lens of focal length 15cm and a concave mirror of
A
focal length 30cm are kept with their optic axes PQ and RS parallel but P B Q
separated by vertical separation of 0.6cm as shown. The distance between R 0.6 cm
the lens and the mirror is 30 cm. An upright object AB of height 1.2 cm is S
placed on the optic axis PQ of the lens at a distance of 20 cm from the lens.
Of AB is the image after refraction from the lens and reflection at the
30 cm 20 cm
mirror, find the distance of AB from the pole of the mirror and obtain its
magnification. Also locate the points A and B with respect to the optic A
axis RS. B Q
B
Solution S
For the lens, A
1 1 1
   v1  60cm
v1 20 15
30 cm 20 cm
The image is 30 cm behind the mirror. Applying lens formula,

1 1 1
   v2  15cm
v2 30 30
60 15
Overall magnification m = m1m 2    1.5 , which gives
20 30
A  B  1.5  1.2  1.8 cm
B is at height of 0.6  0.5  0.3 cm above RS and A is  3 1.2  0.6   0.5  1.5 cm below RS.
 An inverted image is magnified two-fold when the object is placed 22 cm in front of a double convex lens.
Determine the image distance and the focal length of the lens is the image real or virtual?
44 cm, 14.7, Real
 A magnified, inverted image is located a distance of 32.0 cm from a double convex lens with a focal length of
12.0 cm. Determine the object distance and tell whether the image is real or virtual
19.2 cm, Real
 The focal point is located 20.0 cm from a double concave lens. An object is placed 12 cm from the lens.
Determine the image distance.
–7.5cm
 Two point sources P and Q are 24 cm apart. Where should a convex lens of focal length 9 cm be placed in
between them so that the images of both sources are formed at the same place?
18 cm from P
 If a concave lens is placed in path of converging rays real image will be produced if the distance of the pole from
the point of convergence of incident rays lies between______________ (f = magnitude of focal length of lens)
0and f
Although the Lens Maker’s Formula is a very practical tool, the student must bear in mind the limitations of
its application. The Lens Maker’s Formula and Lens Formula can only be applied when
 The lens is very thin.
 The refractive indices of media on either side of the lens are the same.
If these conditions aren’t satisfied, then use the equation for refraction at spherical surface separately at
each interface.
4
 Water (refractive index ) in a tank is 18 cm deep. Oil of refractive index
3
7
lies on water making a convex surface of radius of curvature, R = 6 cm as
4
shown. Consider oil to act as a thin lens. An object Sis placed 24 cm above
water surface. The location of its image is at x cm above the bottom of the
tank. Find x.
x= 2
A lens is converging if the focal length is +ve and diverging if the focal length is –ve. The student should be
very careful not to associate the terms convex & concave with converging and diverging. A convex lens can
be diverging and a concave lens can be converging as is shown below.
 1 1 
For a convex lens R1  0 and R 2  0 , the quantity    is always positive. Hence the sign of f is same as
 R1 R 2 
that of 21  1 . The following cases are possible:
  21  1: The convex lens is placed in a rarer medium. Then f > 0 and the lens is converging.
  21  1: The convex lens is placed in a medium of same refractive index. Then f   , which means that the
rays meet at infinity, i.e., they remain parallel, i.e., pass un-deviated through the lens. The lens behaves a s a
glass slab placed perpendicular to the path of parallel rays.
  21  1 : The convex lens is placed in a denser medium, then f < 0and the lens is diverging.
Hence, a convex lens behaves as a converging lens if placed in a rarer medium, as a diverging lens if placed
in a denser medium, and as a rectangular slab if placed in the same medium as its material.
Similarly, we can show that a concave lens behaves as a diverging lens if placed in a rarer medium, as a
converging lens if placed in a denser medium, and as a rectangular slab if placed in the same medium as its
material.
 A bi-concave symmetric lens made of glass has refractive index 1.5. It has both surfaces of same radius of
curvature R. On immersion in a liquid of refractive index 1.25, it will behave as a ________ lens.
(converging/diverging)
Diverging
Often many problems ask for the focal length of a complex system consisting of many lenses, mirrors, slabs,
etc. We will develop special methods to analyse a few of such problems. But in general, if in doubt, fall back
to this basic definition of focal length of an optical system:
The focus of an optical system is that point where rays parallel to the principal axis coming from infinity
actually converge or appear to diverge from.
Hence a general plan for such questions is this:
 Assume that object is kept at infinity.
 Calculate the final image position under this assumption. The position of the image is the location of the
focus.
Deviation Produced by a Thin Lens
The deviation produced by a thin lens is given by
h

f
h: Height of the point where the incident ray strikes the lens above the optical centre.
Derivation
In  OAI , we have      . If the ray is paraxial, then ,   0 and we can
h h
write   and   , which gives
OP PI
h h h h 1 1
     h  
OP PI u v v u
h

f
Dispersive Power of a Lens

Similar to a prism, white light on refraction from a lens gets separated into constituent colours. Individual
components are bent differently, so a white ray parallel to principal axis doesn’t converge to a point, rather
there is a spread in the focal lengths of individual colours. Violet is bent more and red the least, so the
dispersion is defined as
f = f r  f v
This gives the dispersive power as
f

fy
Combination of Lenses
(i) Thin Lenses in Contact
If 2 thin lenses are in contact, then the system can be replaced by an
equivalent thin lens. The focal length of the equivalent lens is given
by
1 1

F i fi
In terms of power,
P   Pi
i
Derivation
1 1 1
For the first lens we have   , where v1 is the x-coordinate of I1 relative to P1.I1 acts as an virtual object
v1 u f1
for the second lens. As the lenses are assumed to be thin, v1 is also the x-coordinate of I1 relative to P2 . For the
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
second lens we have   . Adding up these two, we get    . If the combination is replaced
v v1 f 2 v u f1 f 2
1 1 1
by a single lens of focal length F such that it forms the image of O at the same point, then we have   .
v u F
Comparing we have
1 1 1
 
F f1 f 2
In terms of power, we have

P = P1  P2
This can easily be extended to a greater number of thin lenses in contact.
When a convex and a concave lens of equal focal length are placed in close contact, the equivalent focal
length becomes infinity as both the lenses have focal lengths of same magnitude but opposite signs. A ray
parallel to the principal axis of such a system won’t be deviated at all by the combination. The net power of
such a system will be zero.
If we want a achromatic combination of two lenses in contact, then we must have
F = 0
Now,
1 1 1 1 1 1  
   2 F = 2 f1  2 f 2  1  2
F f1 f 2 F f1 f2 f1 f 2
Which gives
  
F = F 2  1  2 
 f1 f 2 
Hence the condition for achromatic combination of two lenses in contact is
1 2
 0
f1 f 2
Note that for this to be true the individual focal lengths must have opposite signs, i.e, one must be
converging and the other diverging.
 An achromatic convergent doublet of two lens in contact has a power of + 2 D. The convex lens is power + 5 D.
What is the ratio of the dispersive powers of the convergent and divergent lenses?
3:5
(ii) Two Thin Lenses separated by a Distance
When two thin lenses are separated by a distance, the combination can’t be reduced to a single thin lens;
rather the combination reduces to a thick lens. However, in the special case when the object is placed at
infinity, i.e, when the incident rays are parallel, the combination does reduce to a thin lens.
The focal length of the thin lens is given by
1 1 1 d
  
F f1 f 2 f1 f 2
d: Distance between the optic centres of the two lenses.
In terms of powers,
P = P1  P2  dP1 P2
Position of the equivalent lens:
dF
behind the second lens
f1
These equations are only valid for the special case of an object placed at infinity. If the object is placed at a
finite distance, then the image position should be found by applying the lens formula for each lens
separately.
Derivation
The equivalent lens should be placed at the intersection of
the emergent and incident rays, at Pas shown. The focal
length of the equivalent lens will be PD.
The net angle of deviation of the emergent ray is   1  2
h1 h1 h2
   (1)
F f1 f 2
From the figure, h2  h1  d tan 1  h1  d . 1
dh1
 h2  h1  (2)
f1
h1 h1 h1 d
Substituting this in (1), we get    which gives
F f1 f 2 f1 f 2
1 1 1 d
  
F f1 f 2 f1 f 2
The power equation follows from this.
h1  h2 h1  h2 dh h
The position of the equivalent lens is PP2   . But, h1  h2  1 (from (2)) and   2 , we have
tan   f1 F
dF
PP2 
f1
If we want an achromatic combination of lenses separated by a distance, then, F  0

Now,
1 1 1   d
2
F  2 f1  2 f 2  1  2   1  2 
F f1 f2 f1 f 2 f1 f 2
For achromatic combination, F  0 which gives
1 f 2  2 f1  d  1  2 
 Parallel beam of light is incident on a system of two convex lenses of focal
lengths f1 = 20cm and f2  10 cm. What should be the distance between the two
lenses so that rays after refraction from both the lenses pass undeviated?
30 cm
(iii) Silvering of Lenses

If any surface of a lens is silvered, it will ultimately behave as a mirror and the power of the mirror thus
formed equals the sum of powers of the lenses and the mirrors in between.
If the back surface of a lens is silvered and an object is placed in front of it then:
First, light will pass through the lens and it will form the image I1
The image I1 will act as an object for silvered surface which acts as curved mirror and forms an image I2 of
object I1.
The light after reflection from silvered surface will again pass through the lens and lens will form the final
image I3 of object I2. This is shown in the above figure. In this situation:
Power of the silvered lens will be P = PL  PM  PL  2PL  PM
1  1 1  1
Where PL      1    and PM  . The system will behave as a curved mirror of focal length
fL  R1 R 2  fM
1
F given by F = . To determine the position of the image use the mirror formula with equivalent focal
P
length.
Illustration 30: The convex surface of a thin concavo convex glass lens
(refractive index1.5) has a radius of curvature 20cm. The concave
surface has a radius 60cm. The convex side is silvered and placed
horizontally.
a. Where should a pin be placed on the axis so that its image is formed on itself?
b. If the concave part be filled with water (refractive index1.33), find the distance through which the pin must be
moved so that the image of the pin coincides with the object again.
Solution
1 2 1  1 1  1
a. The effective focal length of the combination is    2 1.5  1      F = -7.5 cm.
F f g fm  20 60  10
Hence the system is equivalent to a concave mirror. For the image to be formed on the object it must be placed at
the centre of curvature of the equivalent mirror, i.e., at a distance of 15 cm.
b. In this case, the equivalent focal length is
1 2 2 1  4  1 1 
    2   1   
F fW fg fm  3    60 
 1 1  1 90
2 1.5  1     F=– cm
 20 60  10 13
180
For the image to be formed at the object, the distance should be twice this value, i.e., cm. So the pin should be
30
180
shifted by d = 150 –  1.15 cm.
30
(iv) Cutting of Lenses

When an equiconvex / equiconcave lens is cut
transversely into two equal parts, the focal length of each
part is double as that uncut lens. The reason is that the
radius of curvature of none of the surfaces has changed.
The principal axis of each half is the same as the original lens.
When a lens is cut into two equal halves parallel to the
principal axis, the focal length of each part changes. If the
radii of curvature are equal in the original lens, then the
focal length doubles.
Here the radius of one surface has changed has changed, hence focal length will change the original focal length was
1  1 1  1  1 1
    1    and the new focal length is     1    and so, the new focal length is related to
f0  R1 R 2  f  R1  
R  R1
the older one as f = f 0 2 . If R1  R 2 , then we have, f = 2f0 .
R2
Illustration 31: A point object is placed at a distance 0.3m from a convex lens L1
4
(focal length 0.2m), cut into two halves which are displaced by 5  10 m as
shown. Find the position of the image of the point object. If more than one
S 0.0005 m
image is formed, find the distance between them.
Solution L2
Two images are formed as shown in the ray diagram. Using lens formula, we
0.3 m I1
1 1 1
have    v = 0.6 m. Hence the magnification is –2.For the upper
v 0.3 0.2 Q1
half, the principal axis is O1Q1 . We can treat I1Q1 as the image of an inverted object O1 0.0005 m
m of which O is the tip. Hence I1Q1  5 10   2   0.001 m.
4 4
of size 5 10 O I
O 2 0.0005 m
Hence the distance between the images is
Q2
I1I 2  2   0.001  0.0005   0.003 m
I2
u v
Calculation of Focal Length of Convex Lens by Displacement Method
o : Object height, l1 and l2 are the image size for two positions L1 L2
of the lens at L1 and L2 respectively. The magnifications in
O
v l v l
the two positions are m1   1 and m2   2 . This gives i2
u O u O
u d i1
v u ll
m1m2  .  1 22
u v O v u
 o  l1l2 v
D
Dd Dd
From the figure we have, u = and v +u = D  v = . Applying the lens formula we have
2 2
1 1 D2  d 2
 1  f=
Dd  Dd  4D
2  
 2 
Illustration 32: A thin plano convex lens of focal length f, is split into two halves.
O d
One of the halves is shifted along the principal axis. The separation between the
object and the image is 1.8m. The magnification of the image formed by one of the
half lenses is 2in magnitude. Find the focal length of the lens and the separation
between the two halves.
Solution D = 1.8m
Dd Dd 
As the magnification is 2 in magnitude, v = -2u   2    d  0.6 m.
2  2 
D2  d 2
Hence, f   0.4 m.
4D
EXERCISE I
Only one option is correct
1. A person runs with a speed u towards a bicycle moving away from him with speed v. The person
approaches his image in the plane mirror fixed at the rear of bicycle with a speed of
(A) u – v (B) u – 2v (C) 2u – v (D) 2 (u – v)
2. A beam of light strikes one mirror of a right angle mirror assembly at an angle of incidence 45° as
shown in the figure. The right angle mirror assembly is rotated such that the angle of incidence
becomes 60°. Which of the following statements is correct about the emerging light beam?
(A) It will move through an angle of 15° w.r.t. the original emerging beam.
(B) It will move through an angle of 30° w.r.t. the original emerging beam.
(C) It will move through an angle 45° w.r.t. the original beam.
(D) It will emerge parallel to the original emerging beam.
3. Two mirrors labeled L1 for left mirror and L2 for right mirror in the figure are parallel to each other
and 3.0 m apart. A person standing 1.0 m from the right mirror (L2) looks into this mirror and sees a
series of images. The second nearest image seen in the right mirror is situated at a distance :
(A) 2.0 m from the person (B) 4.0 m from the person
(C) 6.0 m from the person (D) 8.0 m from the person
4. The reflection surface of a plane mirror is vertical. A particle is projected in a vertical plane which is
also perpendicular to the mirror. The initial velocity of the particle is 10 m/s and the angle of
projection is 60°. The point of projection is at a distance 5 m from the mirror. The particle moves
towards the mirror. Just before the particle touches the mirror the velocity of approach of the particle
and its image is
(A) 10 m/s (B) 5 m/s (C) 10 3 m s (D) 5 3 m/s
5. A boy of height 1.5 m with his eye level at 1.4 m stands before a plane mirror of length 0.75 m fixed
on the wall. The height of the lower edge of the mirror above the floor is 0.8 m. Then
(A) the boy will see his full image (B) the boy cannot see his hair
(C) the boy cannot see his feet (D) The boy can see neither his hair nor his feet.
6. Two plane mirrors are inclined at 70º. A ray incident on one mirror at angle  after reflection falls
on the second mirror and is reflected from there parallel to the first mirror,  is
(A) 50º (B) 45º (C) 30º (D) 55º.
7. Two plane mirrors of length L are separated by distance L and a man M2 is

standing at distance L from the connecting line of mirrors as shown in figure. A
man M1 is walking is a straight line at distance 2 L parallel to mirrors at speed u,
then man M2 at O will be able to see image of M1 for total time:
4L 3L 6L 9L
(A) (B) (C) (D)
u u u u
8. A point source of light S is placed in front of two large mirrors as shown. Which of the following
observers will see only one image of S?
(A) only A (B) only C (C) Both A and C (D) Both B and C
9. The circular boundary of the concave mirror subtends a cone of half angle  at its centre of curvature.
The minimum value of  for which ray incident on this mirror parallel to the principle axis suffers
reflection more than one is
(A) 20º (B) 30º (C) 45º (D) 60º.
10. An object O is placed in front of a small plane mirror M1 and a large convex mirror M2 of focal
length f. The distance between O and M1 is x, and the distance between M1 and M2 is y. The images
of O formed by M1 and M2 coincide. The value of f is
x2 - y 2 x2  y 2 x2  y 2
(A) (B) (C) x – y (D)
2y 2y x+ y
11. A point source is situated at a distance x < f from the pole of the concave mirror of focal length f. At
time t = 0, the point source starts moving away from the mirror with constant velocity. Which of the
graphs below represents the best, variation of image distance v with the distance x between the pole
of mirror and the source?
(A) (B)
(C) (D)
12. The distance of a real object from the focus of a convex mirror of radius of curvature a is b. Then the
distance of the image from the focus is
b2 a a2
(A) 0 (B) 2 (C) (D) None of these.
4a b 4b
13. A concave mirror is used to form image of the Sun on a white screen. If the lower half of the mirror
were covered with an opaque card, the effect on the image on the screen would be
(A) negligible
(B) to make the image less bright than before
(C) to make the upper half of the image disappears.
(D) to make the lower half of the image disappear
14. A luminous point object is moving along the principal axis of a concave mirror of focal length 12 cm
towards it. When its distance from mirror is 20 cm its velocity is 4 cm/s. The velocity of the image in
cm/s at that instant is
(A) 6 towards the mirror (B) 6 away from the mirror
(C) 9 away from the mirror (D) 9 towards the mirror.
15. Choose the correct statement(s) related to the motion of object and its image in the case of mirrors
(A) Object and its image always move along normal w.r.t. mirror in opposite directions
(B) Only in the case of convex mirror, it may happen that the object and its image move in the same
direction
(C) Only in the case of concave mirror, it may happen that the object and its image move in the same
direction
(D) Only in case of plane mirrors, object and its image move in opposite directions.
16. In the figure shown the angle made by the light ray with the normal in the medium of refractive
index 1 is
(A) 30º (B) 60º (C) 90º (D) None of these
17. Bottom face of the glass cube is silvered as shown. A ray of light incident on top face of the cube as
shown. Find the deviation of the ray when it comes out of the glass cube
(A) 0º (B) 90º (C) 180º (D) 270º
18. A ray of light travels from an optical denser medium to rarer medium. The critical angle for the two
media is C. The maximum possible deviation of the refracted light ray can be

(A)   C (B) 2C (C)   2C (D)  C
2
19. A microscope is focused on a point object and then its objective is raised through a height of 2cm. If
a glass slab of refractive index 1.5 is placed over this point object such that it is focused again, the
thickness of the glass slab is
(A) 6 cm (B) 3 cm (C) 2 cm (D) 1.5 cm
20. A cubical block of glass of refractive index n1 is in contact with the surface of
water of refractive index n2. A beam of light is incident on vertical face of the
block (see figure). After refraction, a total internal reflection at the base and
refraction at the opposite vertical face, the ray emerges out at an angle  . The
value of  is given by :
(A) sin   n12  n 22 (B) tan   n 12  n 22
1 1
(C) sin   (D) tan  
2 2
n1  n 2 n1  n 22
2
21. A vertical pencil of rays comes from bottom of a tank filled with a liquid. When it is accelerated
horizontally with an acceleration of 7.5 m/s2, the ray is seen to be totally reflected by liquid surface.
What is minimum possible refractive index of liquid?
(A) slightly greater than 4/3 (B) slightly greater than 5/3
(C) slightly greater than 1.5 (D) slightly greater than 1.75
22. Two identical thin isosceles prisms of refracting angle A and refractive index
are placed with their bases touching each other. Two parallel rays of light
are incident on this system as shown. The distance of the point where the rays
converge from the prism is
h h h h
(A) (B) (C) (D)
A A    1 A    1 A
23. A concave spherical surface of radius of curvature 10cm separates two medium x
& y of refractive index 4/3 & 3/2 respectively. If the object is placed along
principal axis in medium X then
(A) image is always real
(B) image is real if the object distance is greater than 90cm
(C) image is always virtual
(D) image is virtual if the object distance is less than 90cm
24. A concave spherical surface of radius of curvature 10cm separates two medium X
&Y of refractive index 3/2 & 4/3 respectively. If the object is placed along
principal axis in medium X then
(A) image is always real
(B) image is real if the object distance is greater than 90cm
(C) image is always virtual
(D) image is real if the object distance is less than 90cm
25. When the object is at distances u1 and u2 the images formed by the same lens are real and virtual
respectively and of the same size. Then focal length of the lens is
1 1
(A) u1u2 (B)  u1  u2  (C) u1 u2 (D)  u1  u2 
2 2
26. A thin lens of focal length f and its aperture has a diameter d. It forms an image of intensity I. Now
the central part of the aperture up to diameter (d/2) is blocked by an opaque paper. The focal length
and image intensity would change to
f I I 3f I 3I
(A) , (B) f, (C) , (D) f,
2 2 4 4 2 4
27. An object is placed in front of a thin convex lens of focal length 30 cm and a plane mirror is placed
15 cm behind the lens. If the final image of the object coincides with the object, the distance of the
object from the lens is
(A) 60 cm (B) 30 cm (C) 15 cm (D) 25 cm
28. An opaque card is held over the lower half of a converging lens as shown
in figure. Which picture is best shows the image that appears on the screen.
(A) (B)
(C) (D)
Question No.29 to 31(3 questions) are based on the following

A turnip sits before a thin converging lens, outside the focal point of the lens. The lens
is filled with a transparent gel so that it is flexible; by squeezing its ends toward its
centre [as indicated in figure (a)], you can change the curvature of its front and rear
sides.
29. When you squeeze the lens, the image
(A) moves towards the lens (B) moves away from the lens
(C) shifts up (D) remains as it is
30. The lateral height of image

(A) increases (B) decreases
(C) remains same (D) data insufficient
31. Suppose that the image must be formed on a card which is at a certain distance
behind the lens [figure (b)], while you move the turnip away from the lens, then
you should
(A) decrease the squeeze of the lens (B) increase the squeeze of the lens
(C) keep the card and lens as it is (D) move the card away from the lens
32. A light ray hits the pole of a thin biconvex lens as shown in figure. The angle
made by the emergent ray with the optic axis will be
0 0
(A) 0º (B) 1 3 (C) 2 3 (D) 2 0
33. A concave mirror is placed on a horizontal surface and two thin uniform layers of different
transparent liquids (which do not mix or interact) are formed on the reflecting surface. The refractive
indices of the upper and lower liquids are 1 and 2 respectively. The bright point source at a height
‘d’ (d is very large in comparison to the thickness of the film) above the mirror coincides with its
own final image. The radius of curvature of the reflecting surface therefore is
d
(A) 1 (B) 12d (C) 1d (D) 2 d
2
34. The dispersive powers of two lenses are 0.01 and 0.02. If focal length of one lens is + 10 cm, then
what should the focal length of the second lens, so that they form an achromatic combination?
(A) Diverging lens having focal length 20 cm.
(B) Converging lens having focal length 20 cm
(C) Diverging lens having focal length 10 cm.
(D) Converging lens having focal length 10 cm
35. In image formation from spherical mirrors, only paraxial rays are considered because they
(A) Are easy to handle.
(B) Contain most of the intensity of the incident beam
(C) Form nearly a point image of a point source
(D) Show minimum dispersion effect.
36. In figure 1, the liquids L1 , L2 and L3 have refractive indices 1.55, 1.50 and 1.20respectively.
Therefore, the arrangement corresponds to
Fig. 1
(A) biconvex lens (B) biconcave lens
(C) concavo convex lens (D) convexo concave lens.
37. A convergent beam of light is incident on a convex mirror of radius of curvature 60 c.m as shown in
fig. The image formed by the convex mirror is
(A) Virtual and 15 cm behind the mirror

(B) Real and 15 cm in front of the mirror
(C) Virtual and 7.5 cm behind the mirror
(D) Real and 7.5 cm in front of the mirror
38. The following figure shows different arrangements of two identical pieces of plano-convex lenses.
The refractive index of the liquid used is equal to that of the glass. Then, the effective focal length in
the three cases are related as
(A) f1  f2 , f3  0 (B) f1  f2  f3 (C) f1  f2  f3 (D) none of the above.
EXERCISE II
More than one option may be correct
1. If the light moving in a straight line bends by a small but fixed angle, it may be a case of
(A) Reflection (B) Refraction (C) Diffraction (D) Dispersion
2. Mark the correct options

(A) If the incident rays are converging, we have a real object
(B) If the final rays are converging, we have a real image
(C) The image of a virtual object is called a virtual image
(D) If the image is virtual, the corresponding object is called a virtual object
3. A man of height 170 cm wants to see his complete image in a plane mirror (while standing). His eyes
are at a height of 160 cm from the ground.
(A) Minimum length of the mirror = 80 cm
(B) Minimum length of the mirror = 85 cm
(C) Bottom of the mirror should be at a height 80 cm
(D) Bottom of the mirror should be at a height 85 cm
4. Which of the following (referred to a spherical mirror do (does) not depend on whether the rays are
paraxial or not?
(A) Pole (B) Focus
(C) Radius of curvature (D) Principal axis
5. The image of an extended object, placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a mirror, will be erect
if
(A) The object and the image are both real
(B) The object and the image are both virtual
(C) The object is real but the image is virtual
(D) The object is virtual but the image is real
6. A convex lens forms a real image of a point object placed on its principal axis. If the upper half of
the lens is painted black
(A) The image will be shifted downward (B) The image will be shifted upward
(C) The image will not be shifted (D) The intensity of the image will decrease
7. A ray of light is incident normally on one face of 30° – 60° – 90° prism of refractive index 5/3
immersed in water of refractive index 4/3 as shown in figure.
P
1
30°
2
(A) The exit angle 2 of the ray is sin  5 8

1
(B) The exit angle  of the ray is sin–1 (5/4)

2
5
(C) Total internal reflection at point P ceases if the refractive index of water is increased to by
2 3
dissolving some substance
(D) Total internal reflection at point P ceases if the refractive index of water is increased to 5/6 by
dissolving some substance
8. A ray of light in a liquid of refractive index 1.4, approaches the boundary surface between the liquid
and air at an angle of incidence whose sine is 0.8. Which of the following statements is correct about
the behaviour of the light
(A) It is impossible to predict the behavior of the light ray on the basis of the information supplied.
(B) The sine of the angle of refraction of the emergent ray will less than 0.8.
(C) The ray will be internally reflected
(D) The sine of the angle of refraction of the emergent ray will be greater than 0.8.

9. The figure shows a ray incident at an angle i = . If the plot drawn shown the variation of r  i
3
1
versus k  , (r = angle of refraction)
2
2 
(A) The value of k1 is (B) The value of 1 
3 6

(C) The value of  2  (D) The value of k2 is 1
3
10. A concave mirror cannot form

(A) Virtual image of virtual object (B) virtual image of a real object
(C) real image of a real object (D) real image of a virtual object
11. A man wishing to get a picture of a Zebra photographed a white donkey after fitting a glass with
black streaks onto the objective of his camera.
(A) the image will look like a white donkey on the photograph.
(B) the image will look like a Zebra on the photograph
(C) the image will be more intense compared to the case in which no such glass is used
(D) the image will be less intense compared to the case in which no such glass is used
Questions 12-14 are based on the following

A curved surface of radius R separates two medium of refractive indices 1 and 2 as shown in figures A
and B.
12. Choose the correct statement(s) related to the real image formed by the object O placed at a distance
, as shown in figure A
(A) Real image is always formed irrespective of the position of object if 2  1 .
(B) Real image is formed only when x > R
(C) Real image is formed due to the convex nature of the interface irrespective of 1 and 2
(D) None of these
13. Choose the correct statement(s) related to the virtual image formed by object O placed at a distance
x, as shown in figure A
(A) Virtual image is formed for any position of O if 2  1
(B) Virtual image can be formed if x > R and 2  1
(C) Virtual image is formed if x < R and  2  1
(D) None of these
14. Identify the correct statement(s) related to the formation of images of a real object O placed at x from
the pole of the concave surface, as shown in figure B
(A) If  2  1 , then virtual image is formed for any value of x
R
(B) If 2  1 , then virtual image is formed if x  1 .
1   2
(C) If 2  1 , then real image is formed for any value of x
(D) None of these
15. A convex lens forms an image of an object on a screen. The height of the image is 9 cm. The lens is
now displaced until an image is again obtained on the screen. The height of this image is 4 cm. The
distance between the object and the screen is 90cm.
(A) The distance between the two positions of the lens is 30cm
(B) The distance of the object from the lens in its first position is 36cm
(C) The height of the object is 6cm
(D) The focal length of the lens is 21.6 cm.
16. The drawing shows a top view of a square room. One wall is missing and the other
three are each mirrors. From point P in the center of the open side, a laser is fired,
with the intent of hitting a small target located at the center of one wall. Identify
vector in which direction the laser can be fired and score a hit, assuming that the
light does not strike any mirror more than once.
i j
(A)  ĵ (B) i  ˆj (C) i  j (D) i 
3 3
17. A convex mirror of Radius of curvature 60cm is placed at

distance xo from a bi-convex lens having radius of curvature
61
20cm and 25cm. R.I of material of the lens is . A point
36
object is placed at distance 20cm from pole of the lens
on the common principal axis as shown in figure.
Choose correct alternative(s),
(A) If xo = 20cm, final image will coincide with the object.
(B) If xo = 40cm, final image will be virtual.
(C) If xo = 40cm, final image will be real.
(D) If mirror is moved towards lens from xo = 20cm, then final image will move towards left.
[Position of object and lens kept unchanged]
18. A ray of light travelling in a transparent medium falls on a surface separating the medium from air at
an angle of incidence 45 0. The ray undergoes total internal reflection. If n is the refractive index of
the medium with respect to air, then select the possible value (s) of n
(A) 1.3 (B) 1.4 (C) 1.5 (D) 1.6
EXERCISE III
Paragraph type, Assertion Reasoning, Matrix Match
Questions 1-3 are based on the following:
All objects referred to the subsequent problems lie on the principle axis
Air Air
1 Water 2
1. If light is incident on surface 1 from left, the image formed after the first refraction is definitely
(A) Real for a real object (B) Real for a virtual object
(C) Virtual for a real object (D) Virtual for a virtual object
2. In above question if the object is real, then the final image formed after two refractions :
(A) May be real (B) May be virtual
(C) Must be virtual (D) Both A and B
3. If light is incident on surface 2 from right then which or the following is true for image formed after
a single refraction
(A) Virtual object will result in a Real image
(B) Real object will result in a real image
(C) Virtual object will result in a virtual image
(D) Real object will result in a virtual image
Questions 4- 6 are based on the following passage

A concave mirror of radius of curvature 20 cm is shown in the figure. A circular disc of diameter 1 cm is
placed on the principle axis of mirror with its plane perpendicular to the principal axis at a distance 15 cm
from the pole of the mirror. The radius of disc starts increasing according to the law r = (0.5 + 0.1 t) cm/sec
where t is time is second
4. The image formed by the mirror will be in the shape of a

(A) Circular disc
(B) Elliptical disc with major axis horizontal
(C) Elliptical disc with major axis vertical
(D) Distorted disc
5. In the above question, the area of image of the disc at t = 1 second is

(A) 1.2 cm2 (B) 1.44 cm2
2
(C) 1.52 cm (D) None of these
6. What will be the rate at which the radius of image will be changing
(A) 0.2 cm/sec increasing (B) 0.2 cm/sec decreasing
(C) 0.4 cm/sec increasing (D) 0.4 cm/sec decreasing
7. An object O (real) is placed at focus of an equi-biconvex lens as shown in figure. The refractive
index of lens is   1.5 and the radius of curvature of
air R R air
either surface of lens is R. The lens is surrounded by air.
O 
In each statement of column-I some changes are made to
situation given above and information regarding final
image formed as a result is given in column-II. The f
distance between lens and object is unchanged in all
statements of column-I. Match the statements in column-I with resulting image in column-II.
Column-I Column-II
(A) If the refractive index of the lens is (p) Final image is real
doubled (that is made 2 ) then
(B) If the radius of curvature is doubled (that (q) Final image is virtual
is, made 2R) then
(C) R R (r) Final image becomes smaller in size in
  comparison to size of image before the
change was made
O
slab
If a glass slab of refractive index = 1.5
is introduced between the object and lens
as shown, then
(d) R R (s) Final image is of same size of object
  air
O
If the left side of lens is filled with a

medium of refractive index = 1.5 as
shown, then
8. In column I the surface refractivity and object are indicated and in column II possibilities about
images are given. Match them for the R.I. relation 1  2 .
COLUMN – I COLUMN – II
(A) (p) Image will be real
(B) (q) Image will be virtual
(C) (r) Image may be magnified
(D) (s) Image will be diminished.
(t) Image may be real
EXERCISE IV
Subjective Problems
1. A plane mirror 50 cm long, is hung parallel to a vertical wall of a room, with its lower edge 50 cm
above the ground. A man stands in front of the mirror at a distance 2 m away from the mirror. If his
eyes are at a height 1.8 m above the ground, find the length of the floor between him & the mirror,
visible to him reflected from the mirror.
C
2. A concave mirror of radius R is kept on a horizontal table. Water
(refractive index = ) is poured into it up to a height h. Where should
an object be placed so that its image is formed on itself? R h
3. A concave mirror of focal length 20 cm is cut into two parts from the
middle and the two parts are moved perpendicularly by a distance 1 cm
from the previous principal axis AB. Find the distance between the
images formed by the two parts?
4. A balloon is rising up along the axis of a concave mirror of radius of curvature 20 m. A ball is
dropped from the balloon at a height 15 m from the mirror when the balloon has velocity 20 m/s.
Find the speed of the image of the ball formed by concave mirror after 4 seconds?
[Take : g=10 m/s2 ]
5. A thief is running away in a car with velocity of 20 m/s. A police jeep is following him, which is
sighted by thief in his rear view mirror which is a convex mirror of focal length 10 m. He observes
that the image of jeep is moving towards him with a velocity of 1 cm/s. If the magnification of the
mirror for the jeep at that time is 1/10. Find
a. actual speed of jeep
b. rate at which magnification is changing.
Assume that police jeep is on axis of the mirror.
6. A small block of mass m and a concave mirror of radius R fitted with a stand lie on a smooth
horizontal table with a separation d between them. The mirror together with its stands has a mass m.
The block is pushed at t = 0 towards the mirror so that it starts moving towards the mirror at a
constant speed vand collides with it. The collision is perfectly elastic. Find the velocity of the image
d d
(a) at a time t  , (b) at a time t 
V V
Eye H
7. Consider the situation in figure. The bottom of the pot is a
reflecting plane mirror. Refractive index of water is . (a) At H
what distance(s) from itself will the fish see the image(s) of the H/2 Fish
eye? (b) At what distance(s) from itself will the eye see the
image(s) of the fish
8. Monochromatic light is incident on the plane interface AB between two media of refractive indices
1 and  1  2  at an angle of incidence  as shown in
D Medium I (1) E
figure. The angle  is infinitesimally greater than the
critical angle for the two media so that total internal Medium III (3 )
reflection takes place. Now, if a transparent slab DEFG of A G F B

uniform thickness and of refractive index 3 is Medium II (2)
introduced on the interface (as shown in the figure), show

that for any value of 3 all light will ultimately be reflected back into medium II.
9. K transparent slabs are arranged one over another. The refractive indices of the slabs are
1 , 2 , 3 ,..., k and the thicknesses are t1 , t 2 , t 3 ,..., t k . An object is seen through this combination with
nearly perpendicular light. Find the equivalent refractive index of the system which will allow the
image to be formed at the same place.
10. A long solid cylindrical glass rod of refractive index 3/2 is immersed
3 3
in a liquid of refractive index .The ends of the rod are
4
perpendicular to the central axis of the rod. a light enters one end of the
rod at the central axis as shown in the figure. Find the maximum value of angle  for which internal
reflection occurs inside the rod?
11. A ray of light enters a diamond ( = 2) from air and is being internally
reflected near the bottom as shown in the figure. Find maximum value of
angle  possible?
12. A prism of refractive index 2 has a refracting angle of 30°. One of the refracting surfaces of the
prism is polished. For the beam of monochromatic light to retrace its path, find the angle of
incidence on the refracting surface.
13. A light ray, going through a prism with the angle of prism 60°, is found to deviate by 30°. What limit
on the refractive index can be put from these data?
14. A ray of light falls on a transparent sphere with centre at C as shown in figure.
The ray emerges from the sphere parallel to line AB. Find the refractive index of
the sphere.
15. Figure shows a transparent hemisphere of radius 3.0 cm made of a
material of refractive index 2.0.
(a) A narrow beam of parallel rays is incident on the hemisphere as
shown in the figure. Are the rays totally reflected at the plane
45° air
surface? =2
(b) Find the image formed by the refraction at the first surface.
(c) Find the image formed by the reflection or by the refraction at
3 cm
the plane surface.
(d) Trace qualitatively the final rays as they come out of the hemisphere.
16. A ball is kept at a height h above the surface of a heavy transparent sphere made of a material of
refractive index . The radius of the sphere is R. At t = 0, the ball is dropped to fall normally on the
2h
sphere. Find the speed of the image formed as a function of time for t  . Consider only the
g
image by a single refraction.
17. A point object is placed at a distance of 25 cm from a convex lens of focal length 20 cm. If a glass
slab of thickness t and refractive index 1.5 is inserted between the lens and object. The image is
formed at infinity. Find the thickness t?
18. A diverging lens of focal length 20 cm and a converging mirror of focal length 10 cm are placed
coaxially at a separation of 5 cm. Where should an object be placed so that a real image is formed at
the object itself?
19. A thin lens made of a material of refractive index 2 has a medium of refractive index 1 on one side
and 3 on the other side. The lens is biconvex and the two radii of curvature have equal magnitude
R. A beam of light travelling parallel to the principal axis is incident on the lens. Where will the
image be formed if the beam is incident from
(a) the medium 1 and
(b) from the medium 3 ?
20. A thin plano-convex lens fits exactly into a plano concave lens with their
plane surface parallel to each other as shown in the figure. The radius of
curvature of the curved surface R = 30 cm. The lens are made of different
material having refractive index 1 = 3/2 and  2 = 5/4 as shown in figure.
a. if plane surface of the plano-convex lens is silvered, then calculate the
equivalent focal length of this system and also calculate the nature of this
equivalent mirror.
b. An object having transverse length 5 cm in placed on the axis of equivalent mirror (in part a), at a
distance 15 cm from the equivalent mirror along principal axis. Find the transverse magnification
produced by equivalent mirror.
EXERCISE V
Previous Years JEE Questions (Objective)
1. A ray of light passes through four transparent media with refractive indices
and as shown in the figure. The surfaces of all media are parallel. If the
emergent ray CD is parallel to the incident ray AB, we must have
(A) µ1 = µ2 (B) µ2 =µ3
(C) µ3 = µ4 (D) µ4 = µ1 [2001S]
2. A given ray of light suffers minimum deviation in an equilateral prism

P. Additional prism Q and R of identical shape and of the same
material as P are now added as shown in the figure. The ray will now
suffer
(A) greater deviation (B) no deviation
(C) same deviation as before (D) total internal reflection [2001S]
3. An observer can see through a pin-hole the top end of a thin rod of height
h, placed as shown in the figure. The beaker height is 3h and its radius h.
When the beaker is filled with a liquid up to a height 2h, he can see the
lower end of the rod. Then the refractive index of the liquid is
5
(A) 5/2 (B)
2
3
(C) (D) 3/2 [2002S]
2
4. Two plane mirrors A and B are aligned parallel to each other, as

shown in the figure. A light ray is incident at an angle 30° at a
point just inside one end of A. The plane of incidence coincides
with the plane of the figure. The maximum number of times the ray
undergoes reflections (including the first one) before it emerges out
is
(A) 28 (B) 30
(C) 32 (D) 34 [2002S]
5. The size of the image of an object, which is at infinity, as formed by a convex lens of focal length 30
cm is 2 cm. If a concave lens of focal length 20 cm is placed between the convex lens and the image
at a distance of 26 cm from the convex lens, calculate the new size of the image
(A) 1.25 cm (B) 2.5 cm (C) 1.05 cm (D) 2 cm [2003 S]
6. An equilateral prism is placed on a horizontal surface. A ray PQ is incident

onto it. For minimum deviation
(A) PQ is horizontal (B) QR is horizontal
(C) RS is horizontal (D) Any one will be horizontal
[2004 S]
7. A point object is placed at the centre of a glass sphere of radius 6 cm and refractive index 1.5. The
distance of virtual image from the surface is
(A) 2 cm (B) 4 cm (C) 6 cm (D) 12 cm [2004S]
8. A convex lens is in contact with concave lens. The magnitude of the ratio of their focal length is 2/3.
Their equivalent focal length is 30 cm. What are their individual focal lengths?
(A) – 15, 10 (B) – 10, 15 (C) 75, 50 (D) – 75, 50 [2005S]
25 cm
9. A container is filled with water up to a height of 33.25 cm. A concave
mirror is placed 15 cm above the water level and the image of an object
placed at the bottom is formed 25 cm below the water level.
Focal length of the mirror is
(A) 10 cm (B) 15 cm
(C) 20 cm (D) 25 cm
(None of the option given by JEE are correct. The correct Answer is
18.3 cm) [2005S]
10. In an experiment to determine the focal length (f) of a concave mirror by the u–v method, a student
places the object pin A on the principal axis at a distance x from the pole P. The student looks at the
pin and its inverted image from a distance keeping his/her eye in line with PRINCIPAL AXIS. When
the student shifts his/her eye towards left, the image appears to the right of the object pin. Then,
(A) x < f (B) f < x < 2f (C) x = 2f (D) x > 2f [2007]
11. A ray of light travelling in water is incident on its surface open to air. The angle of incidence is θ,
which is less than the critical angle. Then there will be
(A) Only a reflected ray and no refracted ray.
(B) Only a refracted ray and no reflected ray.
(C) A reflected ray and a refracted ray and the angle between them would be less than 180º – 2θ.
(D) A reflected ray and a refracted 25 cm ray and the angle between them would be greater than
180º – 2θ. [2007]
12. Two beams of red and violet colours are made to pass separately through a prism (angle of the prism
is 600). In the position of minimum deviation, the angle of refraction will be
(A) 300 for both the colours (B) greater for the violet colour
(C) greater for the red colour (D) equal but not 30 0 for both the colours [2008]
13. A point object is placed at a distance of 20 cm from a thin plano-convex lens of

focal length 15 cm, if the plane surface is silvered. The image will form at
(A) 60 cm left of AB (B) 30 cm left of AB
(C) 12 cm left of AB (D) 60 cm right of AB
[2006]
14. A biconvex lens of focal length f forms a circular image of sun of radius r in
focal plane. Then
(A)  r 2  f
(B)  r 2  f 2
r 2
(C) if lower half part is covered by black sheet, then area of the image is equal to
2
(D) if f is doubled, intensity will increase [2006]
15. Graph of position of image vs position of point object from a convex lens is shown. Then, focal
length of the lens is
(A) 0.50 ± 0.05 cm (B) 0.50 ± 0.10 cm

(C) 5.00 ± 0.05 cm (D) 5.00 ± 0.10 cm [2006]
16. A ball is dropped from a height of 20 m above the surface of water is a lake. The refractive index of
water is 4/3. A fish inside the lake, in the line of fall of the ball, is looking at the ball. At an instant,
when the ball is 12.8 m above the water surface, the fish sees the speed of ball as
(A) 9 m/s (B) 12 m/s (C) 16 m/s (D) 21.33 m/s [2009]
17. A biconvex lens of focal length 15 cm is in front of a plane mirror. The distance between the lens
and the mirror is 10 cm. A small object is kept at a distance of 30 cm from the lens. The final image
is
(A) Virtual and at a distance of 16 cm from the mirror
(B) Real and at a distance of 16 cm from the mirror
(C) Virtual and at a distance of 20 cm from the mirror
(D) Real and at a distance of 20 cm from the mirror [2010]
18. Light ray travelling in glass medium is incident on glass-air interface at an angle of incidence  . The
reflected (R) and transmitted (T) intensities, both as function of  , are plotted. The correct sketch is
(A) 100% (B) 100%
T T
Intensity
Intensity
R R
0  90°
0  90°
(C) 100% (D) 100%

T T
Intensity
Intensity
R R
0  90° 0  90°
[2011]
19. A student performed the experiment of determination of focal length of a concave mirror by u – v
method using an optical bench of length 1.5 m. The focal length of the mirror used is 24 cm. The
maximum error in the location of the image can be 0.2 cm. The 5 sets of (u, v) values recorded by the
student (in cm) are : (42, 56), (48, 48), (60, 40), (66, 33), (78, 39). The data set(s) that cannot come
from experiment and is (are) incorrectly recorded, is (are)
(A) (42, 56) (B) (48, 48) (C) (66, 33) (D) (78, 39) [2009]
20. A bi-convex lens is formed with two thin plano-convex lenses as shown in the figure. Refractive
index n of the first lens is 1.5 and that of the second lens is 1.2. Both the curved surface are of the
same radius of curvature R = 14 cm. For this bi – convex lens, for an object distance of 40 cm, the
image distance will be [JEE 2012]
(A) –280.0 cm (B) 40.0 cm (C) 21.5 cm (D) 13.3 cm
21. The image of an object, formed by a plano-convex lens at a distance of 8 m behind the lens, is real
2
and is one-third the size of the object. The wavelength of light inside the lens is times the
3
wavelength in free space. The radius of the curved surface of the lens is [JEE 2013]
(A) 1 m (B) 2 m (C) 3 m (D) 6 m
22. A right angled prism of refractive index 1 is placed in a rectangular block of refractive index 2 ,
which is surrounded by a medium of refractive index 3 , as shown in the figure. A ray of light ‘e’
enters the rectangular block at normal incidence. Depending upon the relationships between 1 , 2
and 3 , it takes one of the four possible path ‘ef’, ‘eg’, ‘eh’ or ‘ei’
Match the paths in List I with conditions of refractive indices in List II and select the correct answer
using the codes given below the lists: [JEE 2013]
List I List II
P. e  f 1.   2 
1 2
Q. e  g 2. 2  1 and 2  3
R. eh 3. 1  2
S. ei 4.  2  1  2  2 and  2  3
Codes:
P Q R S
(A) 2 3 1 4
(B) 1 2 4 3
(C) 4 1 2 3
(D) 2 3 4 1
1 
23. A ray of light travelling in the direction i  3 j is incident on a plane mirror. After reflection,
 
2
1 ˆ ˆ . The angle of incidence is
it travels along the direction (i  3j) [JEE 2013]
2
(A) 30o (B) 45o (C) 60o (D) 75o
24. A transparent thin film of uniform thickness and refractive index n1 = 1.4 is coated on the convex
spherical surface of radius R at one end of a long solid glass cylinder of refractive index n2 = 1.5, as
shown in the figure. Rays of light parallel to the axis of the cylinder traversing through the film from
air to glass get focused at distance f1 from the film, while rays of light traversing from glass to air get
focused at distance f2 from the film. Then [JEE 2014]
(A) f1  3R (B) f1  2.8R (C) f 2  2R (D) f 2  1.4R
25. Four combination of two thin lenses are given in List I. The radius of curvature of all curved surface
is r and the refractive index of all lenses is 1.5. Match the lens combination in List – I with their focal
length in List – II and select the correct answer using the code given below the list.
[JEE 2014]
List – I List - II
P. 1. 2r
Q. 2. r/2
R. 3. –r
S. 4. r
Codes
(A) P – 1; Q – 2; R – 3; S – 4 (B) P – 2; Q – 4; R – 3; S – 1
(C) P – 4; Q – 1; R – 2; S – 3 (D) P – 2; Q – 1; R – 3; S – 4
26. Two identical glass rods S1 and S2 (refractive index = 1.5) have one convex end of radius of
curvature 10 cm. They are placed with the curved surfaces at a distance d as shown in the figure,
with their axes (shown by the dashed line) aligned. When a point source of light P is placed inside
rod S1 on its axis at a distance of 50 cm from the curved face, the light rays emanating from it are
found to be parallel to the axis inside S2. The distance d is [JEE 2015]
(A) 60 cm (B) 70 cm (C) 80 cm (D) 90 cm
27. A parallel beam of light is incident from air at an angle  on the side PQ of a right angled triangular
prism of refractive index n  2 . Light undergoes total internal reflection in the prism at the face PR
when  has a minimum value of 45°. The angle  of the prism is [JEE 2016]
(A) 15o (B) 22.5 o (C) 30o (D) 45o
28. A plano-convex lens is made of refractive index n. When a small object is placed 30 cm away in
front of the curved surface of the lens, an image of double the size of the object is produced. Due to
reflection from the convex surface of the lens, another faint image is observed at a distance 10 cm
away from the lens. Which of the following statement(s) is(are) true? [JEE 2016]
(A) The refractive index of the lens is 2.5
(B) The radius of curvature of the convex surface is 45 cm
(C) The faint images is erect and real
(D) The focal length of the lens is 20 cm
29. A transparent slab of thickness d has a refractive index n (z) that increases with z. Here z is the
vertical distance inside the slab, measured from the top. The slab is placed between two media with
uniform refractive indices n1 and n2   n1  , as shown in the figure. A ray of light is incident with
angle  i from medium 1 and emerges in medium 2 with refraction angle  f with a lateral
displacement l. [JEE 2016]
Which of the following statement(s) is(are) true?

(A) l is independent of n 2 (B) l is dependent on n (z)
(C) n1 sin  i  n2 sin  f (D) n1 sin  i   n2  n1  sin  f
30. A small object is placed 50 cm to the left of a thin convex lens of focal length 30 cm. A convex
spherical mirror of radius of curvature 100 cm is placed to the right of the lens at a distance of 50 cm.
The mirror is tilted such that the axis of the mirror is at an angle   300 to the axis of the lens, as
shown in the figure. [JEE 2016]
If the origin of the coordinate system is taken to be at the centre of the lens, the coordinates (in cm)
of the point (x, y) at which the image is formed are

(A) 25, 25 3  
(B) 125 3, 25 3 
(C) (0, 0) (D)  50  25 3, 25 
31. For an isosceles prism of angle A and refractive indes  , it is found that the angle of minimum
deviation m = A. which of the following options is/are correct? [JEE 2017]
(A) At minimum deviation the incident angle i1 and the refracting angle r1 at the first refracting
surface are related by r1   i1 / 2 
1 
(B) For this prism the refractive index  and the angle of prism A are related as A  cos 1  
2 2
(C) For this prism the emergent ray at the second surface will be tangential to the surface when the
 A 
angle of incidence at the first surface is i1  sin 1 sin A 4 cos2  1  cos A 
 2 
(D) For the angle of incidence i1  A ,the ray inside the prism is parallel to the base of the prism
COMPREHENSION TYPE
PARAGRAPH – 1
Most materials have the refraction index, n > 1. So, when a light ray from air enters a naturally occurring
sin 1 n 2
material, then by Snell’s law,  , it is understood that the refracted ray bends towards the normal.
sin 2 n1
But it never emerges on the same side of the normal as the incident ray. According to electromagnetism , the
c
refractive index of the medium is given by the relation, n       r  r , where c is the speed of
v
electromagnetic waves in vacuum, v its speed in the medium, r and r are the relative permittivity ans
permeability of the medium respectively.
In normal materials, both r and r are positive, implying positive n for the medium. When both r and  r
are negative, one must choose the negative root of n. such negative refractive index materials can now be
artificially prepared and are called meta-materials. Since n is negative, it results in a change in the direction
of propagation of the refracted light. However, similar to normal materials, the frequency of light remains
unchanged upon refraction even in meta-materials. [JEE 2012]
1. For light incident from air on a meta-material, the appropriate ray diagram is
(B)
(A)
(C) (D)
2. Choose the correct statement.

(A) the speed of light in the meta-material is   c n
c
(B) The speed of light in the meta-material is  
n
(C) The speed of light in the meta-material is   c
(D) The wavelength of the light in the meta-material   m  is given by  m   air n , where air is the
Wavelength of the light in air
PARAGRAPH – 2
Light guidance in an optical fiber can be understood by considering a structure comprising of thin
solid glass cylinder of refractive index n1 surrounded by a medium of lower refractive index n 2 .The light
guidance in the structure takes place due to successive total internal reflections at the interface of the media
n1 and n 2 as shown in the figure. All rays with the angle of incidence i less than a particular value im are
confined in the medium of refractive index n1.The numerical aperture (NA) of the structure is defined as sin
im. [JEE 2015]
3. For two structures namely S1 and n1  45 / 4 and n 2  3 / 2 , and S2 with n1  8 / 5 and n 2  7 / 5

and taking the refractive index of water to be 4/3 and that of air to be 1, the correct option (s) is (are).
(A) NA of S1 immersed in water is the same as that of S2 immersed in a liquid of refractive index
16
.
3 15
6
(B) NA of S1 immersed in liquid of refractive index is the same that of S2 immersed in water.
15
4
(C) NA of S1 placed in air is the same as that of S2 immersed in liquid of refractive index .
15
(D) NA of S1 placed in air the same as that S2 placed in water.
4. If two structures of same cross-sectional area, but different numerical apertures NA1 and
NA2  NA2  NA1  are joined longitudinally, the numerical aperture of the combined structure is
NA1NA2
(A) (B) NA1  NA2 (C) NA1 (D) NA2
NA1  NA 2
SUBJECTIVE
1. A ray of light is incident at an angle of 600 on one face of a prism having an angle 300 . The ray
emerging out from the prism makes an angle 300 with the incident ray. Show that the emergent ray
is perpendicular to the face through which it emerges, and calculate the refractive index of the
material of the prism. [1978]
2. A quarter cylinders of radius R and refractive index 1.5 is placed

on a table. A point object P is kept at a distance of mR from it.
Find the value of m from which a ray from P will emerge parallel
to the table as shown in figure. [1999 - 5 Marks]
3. (a) A convex lens of focal length 15 cm and a concave mirror of focal length 30 cm are kept with
their optic axes PQ and RS parallel but separated in
vertical direction by 0.6 cm as shown. The distance
between the lens and mirror is 30 cm. An upright object
AB of height 1.2 cm is placed on the optics axis PQ of
the lens at a distance of 20 cm from the lens. If A’B’ is
the image after refraction from the lens and reflection
from the mirror, find the distance of A’B’ from the pole
of the mirror and obtain its magnification. Also locate position of A’ and B’ with respect to the optic
axis RS. [2000 - 6 Marks]
4. The refractive indices of the crown glass for blue and red lights are 1.51 and 1.49 respectively and
those of flint glass are 1.77 and 1.73 respectively. An isosceles prism of angle 6° is made of crown
glass. A beam of white light is incident at a small angle on this prism. The other flint glass isosceles
prism is combined with the crown glass prism such that there is no deviation of the incident light.
Determine the angle of the flint glass prism. Calculate the net dispersion of the combined system.
[2001 - 5 Marks]
5. A thin biconvex lens of refractive index 3/2 is placed on a horizontal plane mirror as shown in the
figure. The space between the lens and the mirror is
then filled with water of refractive index 4/3. If is found
that when a point object is placed 15 cm above the lens
on its principal axis, the object coincides with its own image. On repeating with another liquid, the
object and the image again coincide at a distance 25 cm from the lens. Calculate the refractive index
of the liquid. [2001 - 5 Marks]
6. Find the focal length of the lens shown in the figure. The radii of
curvature of both the surfaces are equal to R.
[2003 - 2 Marks]
7. A ray is incident on a medium consisting of two boundaries, one plane and other curved as shown in
the figure. The plane surface makes an angle 60° with horizontal and curved surface has radius of
curvature 0.4 m. The refractive indices of the medium and its environment are shown in the figure. If
after refraction at both the surfaces the ray meets principle axis at P, find OP. [2004 - 2 Marks]
8. An object is moving with velocity 0.01 m/s towards a convex

lens of focal length 0.3 m. Find the magnitude of rate of
separation of image from the lens when the object is at a
distance of 0.4 m from the lens. Also calculate the magnitude
of the rate of change of the lateral magnification. [2004 - 4 Marks]
9. What will be the minimum angle of incidence such that the total
internal reflection occurs on both the surfaces? [2005 - 2 Marks]
10. Two identical prism of refractive index are kept as shown in the figure. A light ra y
strikes the first prism at face AB. Find,
(a) the angle of incidence, so that the emergent ray
B D
from the first prism has minimum deviation.
(b) through what angle the prism DCE should be 60° 60°
rotated about C so that the final emergent ray also
has minimum deviation. 60° 60°
A
[2005 - 4 Marks] C E
11. An image Y is formed of a point object X by a lens whose optic

axis is AB as shown in figure Draw a ray diagram to locate the
lens and its focus. If the image Y of the object X is formed by a
concave mirror (having the same optic axis AB) instead of lens, draw another ray diagram to locate
the mirror and its focus. Write down the steps of construction of the ray diagrams.[JEE’ 94, 6]
12. The focal length of a thin biconvex lens is 20 cm. When an object is moved from a distance of 25 cm
m25
in front of it to 50 cm, the magnification of its image changes from m25 to m 50 . The ration is
m 50
________. [2010]
13. Image of an object approaching a convex mirror of radius of curvature 20 m along its optical axis is
25 50
observed to move from m to m in 30 s. What is the speed of the object in km/h? [2010]
3 7
5
14. A large glass slab     of thickness 8 cm is placed over a point source of light on a plane
 3
surface. It is seen that light emerges out of the top surface of the slab from a circular area of radius R
cm. What is the value of R? [2010]
15. Water (with refractive index = 4/3) in a tank is 18 cm deep. Oil of refractive index 7/4 lies on water
making a convex surface of radius of curvature R = 6 cm as shown. Consider oil to act as a thin lens.
An object S is placed 24 cm above water surface. The location of its image is at x cm above the
bottom of the tank. Then x is _______________ [2011]
 = 1.0
R = 6cm
 = 7/4
 = 4/3
16. Consider a concave mirror and a convex lens (refractive index = 1.5) of focal length 10 cm each,
separated by a distance of 50 cm in air (refractive index = 1) as shown in the figure. An object is
placed at a distance of 15 cm from the mirror. Its erect image formed by this combination has
magnification M1. When the set-up is kept in a medium of refractive index 7/6, the magnification
M2
becomes M2. The magnitude is [2015]
M1
17. A monochromatic beam of light is incident at 60 o on one face of an equilateral prism of refractive
index n and emerges from the opposite face making an angle  (n) with the normal (see the figure).
d
For n = 3 the value of  is 60° and  m . The value of m is
dn
ANSWER KEY
Exercise I
1. D 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. C
6. A 7. C 8. B 9. C 10. A
11. A 12. C 13. B 14. C 15. A
16. B 17. C 18. D 19. A 20. A
21. B 22. C 23. C 24. D 25. B
26. D 27. B 28. D 29. A 30. B
31. B 32. C 33. D 34. A 35. C
36. C 37. B 38. A
Exercise II
1. AB 2. B 3. BC 4. ACD 5. CD
6. CD 7. AC 8. C 9. BCD 10. A
11. AD 12. D 13. AB 14. AB 15. BCD
16. ABCD 17. ACD 18. CD
Exercise III
1. C 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. B
6. A 7. A-P,R; B-Q,R; C-Q,R; D-Q,R 8. A – S , B – PS , C – RT , D – QR
Exercise IV
1. 1.23 m
R h
2. above the water surface

3. 2 cm
4. 80 m/s
5. .(a) 21 m/s, (b) 10 3 sec
R 2v  R2 
6. (a)  2
(b) v  1  2

 2  d  vt   R    2  vt  d   R  
 1  3  1   3 
7. (a) H     above itself, H     below itself; (b) H  1   below itself, H  1   above itself
 2  2  2   2 
9.  t i i
 t i i i
1 1
10. sin
3
3 1
11. sin 1
2
12. 450
13.   2
14. 3
15. (a) they are reflected (b) if the sphere is completed, the image forms at the point diametrically
opposite to A (c) at the mirror image of A in BC
R 2 gt
16. 2
  1 2 
   1 h 
2
gt   R 
   
17. 15cm
18. 60 cm from the lens further away from the mirror
3R 1R
19. (a) (b)
22  1  3 22  1  3
20. 60 cm, +4/5
Exercise V
Objective
1. (D) 2. (C) 3. (B) 4. (B) 5. (B)
6. (B) 7. (C) 8. (A) 9. (C) 10. (B)
11. (C) 12. (A) 13. (C) 14. (B) 15. (C)
16. (C) 17. (B) 18. (C) 19. (CD) 20. (B)
21. (C) 22. (D) 23. (A) 24. (AC) 25. (B)
26. (B) 27. (A) 28. (AD) 29. (ABC) 30. (A)
31. (ACD)
COMPREHENSION TYPE
1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (AC) 4. (D)
Subjective
1. 3
2. 4/3
3. 15 cm, -3/2
4. 4 0 , 0.04 0
5. 1.6
3 R
6.
 2  1
7. 6.06 m
8. 0.09 m/s, 0.3 /s
9. 60 0
10. 60 0 , 600
12. 6
13. 3
14. 6
15. 2
16. 7
17. 2

Geometrical Optics (ADV)

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GEOMETRICAL OPTICS Rg.

methods to systems with two or more components, such as microscope or telescopes.

improvement of the booklet would be gratefully accepted and acknowledged.

IIT –ian’s PACE

2. EXERCISE # I 346 – 351

LECTURE FLOW: GEOMETRICAL OPTICS (Board Syllabus Included)

Total Internal Reflection, Refraction through a Prism, Minimum Deviation, Condition

Lecture 4 Refraction through Curved Surfaces, Thin Lenses

Luminous objects are objects that generate their own light.

1. Plane Mirrors: The mirror surface is planar.

A luminous object emits light in a variety of directions; and an

(a) (b) (c)

 Point of incidence: The point on the mirror where the

A light ray gets reflected by a smooth surface in accordance

It just so happens that the light that travels along

Illustration 5: A ray of light is incident towards a plane mirror at an angle of 30 o with

A ray of light drawn from the sun's position at

Specular Vs Diffused Reflection

Reflection off of smooth surfaces such as mirrors

Objects & Images

In the case of plane mirrors, the image is said to be a virtual

The second characteristic has to do with the orientation of the

A third characteristic of plane mirror images is that the object distance is

In conclusion, plane mirrors produce images that are

Steps in drawing ray diagrams for plane mirrors

The ray diagram can now be traced as follows:

Two Mirrors placed at an Angle to Each Other

The generation of two images is not difficult to explain; each

When the two mirrors are aligned at a 0 o angle with

A spherical mirror is a part cut out of a large hollow sphere.

Concave Mirror: It has a reflecting surface that bulges inward

Although the focus is conceptually a point, practically it has a

The stepwise construction of a ray diagram is illustrated below

Image positions for different Object positions

Beyond C Between F and C

Between C and F Beyond C

Between P and F Behind the mirror

Between infinity, Between P and F

Cartesian Sign Convention

h i :Y  coordinate of the tip of the image.

h 0 : Y  coordinate of the tip of the object.

In terms of object and image distance,

Illustration 14: A plane mirror is placed 22.5 cm in front of a concave mirror

Illustration 15: Find the velocity of image in situation as shown in fig

Images formed by Multiple Mirrors

Illustration 16: Find the co-ordinates of image of point object P

If light passes from a rarer to a denser medium, then

Refraction across Multiple Plane Boundaries

Refraction through a Rectangular Glass Slab

The lateral shift AM    can be calculated as follows.

Near Normal Viewing

If i is increased further, there is no r that

Angle of Minimum Deviation

Angular dispersion is the angle between the extreme rays of dispersed

Dispersion without Average Deviation

Deviation without Dispersion (Achromatic Combination of Prisms)

Illustration 25: Find the angle of a prism of dispersive

Net deviation          1 A    1 A  3.12

Refraction through Spherical Surfaces