Chapter 22.1 4

Chapter 22
Reflection and Refraction

of
Light
22.1 The Nature of Light
 1000 AD
 It was proposed that light consisted of tiny
particles
 Newton
 Used this particle model to explain reflection and
refraction
 Huygens
 1670
 Explained many properties of light by proposing
light was wave-like
A Brief History of Light, cont.
 Young
 1801
 Strong support for wave theory by showing
interference
 Maxwell
 1865
 Electromagnetic waves travel at the speed
of light
A Brief History of Light, final
 Planck
 EM radiation is quantized
 Implies particles
 Explained light spectrum emitted by hot
objects (black body radiation)
 Einstein
 Particle nature of light
 Explained the photoelectric effect
Dual Nature of Light
 Experiments can be devised
that will display either the wave
nature or the particle nature of
light
 Nature prevents testing both
qualities at the same time
The Nature of Light, final
 “Particles” of light are called photons
 Each photon has a particular energy
 E=hƒ
 h is Planck’s constant
 h = 6.63 x 10-34 J s
 Encompasses both natures of light
 Interacts like a particle
 Has a given frequency like a wave
22.2 Geometrical Optics –
Using a Ray Approximation
 Light travels in a straight-line path in a
homogeneous medium until it
encounters a boundary between two
different media
 The ray approximation is used to
represent beams of light
 A ray of light is an imaginary line drawn
along the direction of travel of the light
beams
Wave Fronts and Rays
 (a) Near a point source, the
wave fronts (i.e., surfaces of
constant phase) are circular in
two dimensions ( stone in the
water) and spherical in three
dimensions. (b) Far from a
point source, the wave fronts
are approximately linear or
planar. A line perpendicular to a
wave front in direction of the
wave’s propagation is called a
ray.
Wave Fronts and Rays, cont.
“Near field” “Far field”

Geometrical Optics
 Plane waves are important in understanding the
properties of mirrors and lenses.
 For light waves, the ray concept is particularly
convenient for showing the path taken by the
light.

Geometrical Optics
 We will make frequent use of light rays, and they

can be regarded essentially as narrow beams of
light much like those lasers produce.
22.3 Reflection of Light
 A ray of light, the incident ray, travels in
a medium
 When it encounters a boundary with a
second medium, part of the incident ray
is reflected back into the first medium
 This means it is directed backward into the
first medium
Specular Reflection
 Specular reflection is
reflection from a
smooth surface
 The reflected rays
are parallel to each
other
 All reflection in this
text is assumed to
be specular
Diffuse Reflection
 Diffuse reflection is
reflection from a
rough surface
 The reflected rays
travel in a variety of
directions
 Diffuse reflection
makes the road easy
to see at night
Specular and Diffuse
Reflection
Specular Diffuse
Law of Reflection
 The normal is a line
perpendicular to the
surface
 It is at the point where
the incident ray strikes
the surface
 The incident ray makes
an angle of θ1 with the
normal
 The reflected ray makes
an angle of θ1’ with the
normal
Law of Reflection, cont. Incident and
reflected ray are in
the same plane.
 The angle of 1’

reflection is equal 1
to the angle of
incidence
 θ1=θ1’
Refraction of Light
 When a ray of light traveling in a transparent
medium encounters a boundary leading into a
second medium, part of the ray is reflected
and part of the ray enters the second
medium
 The ray that enters the second medium is
bent at the boundary
 This bending of the ray is called refraction
Refraction of Light, cont.
 The incident ray, the
reflected ray, the
refracted ray, and
the normal all lie on
the same plane
 The angle of
refraction, θ2,
depends on the
properties of the
medium
Following the Reflected and
Refracted Rays
 Ray  is the incident
ray
 Ray  is the reflected
ray
 Ray  is refracted into
the lucite
 Ray  is internally
reflected in the lucite
 Ray  is refracted as it
enters the air from the
lucite
22.4 The Law of Refraction
sin1=v1t/d (yellow triangle)

sin2=v2t/d (green triangle)
sin1 v1

sin 2 v2
The geometrical derivation of the law
of refraction (Snell’s law).
Refraction, cont.
 Speed of light=constant?
 Yes, but only in ONE medium!
v=c (light velocity)

Air Index of refraction
v=c/n
Water (optically
denser than air)
Index of refraction
 The index of refraction defines the
velocity of light in the optically
denser medium  c/n.
Index of refraction c Speed of light in
n
vacuum (air)
v Speed of light in a
medium (e.g. water)
Index of Refraction, cont.
For a vacuum and air, n = 1

For other media, n > 1
n is a unitless ratio
Frequency Between Media
 As light travels from one
medium to another, its
frequency does not change
 Both the wave speed and
the wavelength do change
 The wavefronts do not
pile up, nor are created or
destroyed at the
boundary, so ƒ must stay
the same
Change of Wavelength
c 0 f
n 
v n f
Wavelength of a medium
n=/n with the refractive index n
Vacuum wavelength
Refraction Details
 Light may refract
into a material
where its speed is
lower
 The angle of
refraction is less
than the angle of
incidence
 The ray bends
toward the normal
Refraction Details, cont.
 Light may refract
into a material
where its speed is
higher
 The angle of
refraction is greater
than the angle of
incidence
 The ray bends away
from the normal
Index of Refraction Extended
 The frequency stays the same as the wave
travels from one medium to the other
 v=ƒλ
 The ratio of the indices of refraction of the
two media can be expressed as various ratios
c
1 v1 n1 n2 sin1
   
2 v 2 c n1 sin 2
n2
Snell’s Law of Refraction
 n1sinθ1=n2sinθ2
 θ1 is the angle of
incidence
 30.0° in this
diagram
 θ2 is the angle of
refraction
Some indices of refraction for various substances at 590 nm:
Substance Refractive index

Air 1.00029
Water 1.33
Ethyl alcohol 1.36
Fused quartz 1.46
Glycerine 1.47
Glass 1.45-1.70
Oil 1.50
Zircon 1.92
Diamond 2.42
Example and Application
 A digital information on a
DVD consists of a series
of pits that are “read” by
a laser beam. The surface
of a DVD is shown on the
right side.
Example and application, cont.
 The picture shows the
cross section of a cone-
shaped laser beam
used to read the
information on the
DVD. Find the required
angle 1 at which the
conical beam should
enter in order to
achieve a=1 m.
 The following
informations are
given: t=1.2 mm,
w=0.70 mm, and
the refractive index
of the plastic is 1.55
w=2b+a
b=(w-a)/2
b=(0.7010-3 m - 110-6 m)/2=699 m/2=349.5 m
tg2=b/t=349.5 m/1200 m=0.29

2 =16.2
Snell’s law:
Plastic Air
n1sin1=n2sin2
sin1=n2sin2/n1=1.55sin(16.2)/1.00
1=25.6

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Chapter 22.1 4

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Chapter 22

Reflection and Refraction

“Near field” “Far field”

 We will make frequent use of light rays, and they

 The angle of 1’

sin1=v1t/d (yellow triangle)

v=c (light velocity)

Index of refraction c Speed of light in

For a vacuum and air, n = 1

Substance Refractive index

tg2=b/t=349.5 m/1200 m=0.29

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