Properties of Light Sometimes even the material of which the surface is

made of matters. All this leads to a loss of both the

Reflection brightness and the quality of the reflection.
When a ray of light approaches a smooth polished
In the case of such rough surfaces, the angle of
surface and the light ray bounces back, it is called the
reflection when compared between points is completely
reflection of light. The incident light ray that land on
haphazard. For rough surfaces, the ray’s incident at
the surface is reflected off the surface. The ray that
bounces back is called the reflected ray. If a slightly different points on the surface is reflected in
perpendicular were drawn on a reflecting surface, it completely different directions. This type of reflection is
would be called normal. The figure below shows the called diffused reflection and is what enables us to see
reflection of an incident beam on a plane mirror. non-shiny objects.

Multiple reflection

Laws of Reflection

The laws of reflection determine the reflection of

incident light rays on reflecting surfaces, like mirrors,
smooth metal surfaces and clear water. Let’s consider a
plane mirror as shown in the figure above. The law of
reflection states that Since reflective surfaces such as mirrors are very good
at preserving the intensity of light in a reflection, a
➢ The incident ray, the reflected ray and the single light source can be reflected multiple times.
normal all lie in the same plane These multiple reflections are possible until the
➢ The angle of incidence = Angle of reflection intensity of light becomes low to the point that we
Types of Reflection of Light cannot see. This means that we can have almost infinite
multiple reflections.
Regular / Specular Reflection
The number of images we see depends on the angle
between the two mirrors. We see that as we go on
decreasing the angle between the mirrors, the number
of images increases. And when the angle becomes zero,
i.e., when the mirrors become parallel, the number of
images becomes infinite. This effect can be easily
observed when your barber uses another smaller mirror
Specular Reflection refers to a clear and sharp to show you the back of your head. When this happens,
reflection, like the ones you get in a mirror. A mirror is not only do you see the back of your head, but you also
made of glass coated with a uniform layer of a highly see innumerable images of yourself.
reflective material such as powder. This reflective
surface reflects almost all the light incident on it
uniformly. There is not much variation in the angles of
reflections between various points. This means that the
haziness and the blurring are almost eliminated.

Diffused reflection

Reflective surfaces other than mirrors, in general, have

a very rough finish. This may be due to wear and tear
such as scratches and dents or dirt on the surface.
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Refraction Applications of Refraction of Light

Refraction is the bending of a wave when it passes from • A lens uses refraction to form an image of an
one medium to another. The bending is caused due to object for various purposes, such as
the differences in density between the two substances. magnification.
• Spectacles worn by people with defective vision
“Refraction is the change in the direction of a wave
use the principle of refraction.
passing from one medium to another.”
• Refraction is used in peepholes of house doors,
Refraction of light is one of the most observed cameras, movie projectors and telescopes.
phenomena, but other waves like sound waves and
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water waves also experience refraction. Refraction
makes it possible for us to have optical instruments Diffraction
such as magnifying glasses, lenses and prisms. It is also
because of the refraction of light that we can focus light Diffraction of light is defined as the bending of light
on our retina. around corners such that it spreads out and illuminates
areas where a shadow is expected. In general, it is hard
to separate diffraction from interference since both
occur simultaneously. The silver lining which we witness
in the sky is caused due to diffraction of light. When the
sunlight passes through or encounters the cloud, a silver
lining is seen in the sky.

Laws of Refraction of Light

➢ The incident ray refracted ray, and the normal

to the interface of two media at the point of
incidence all lie on the same plane.
➢ The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to
the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant.
This is also known as Snell’s law of refraction.

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▪ Mirage and looming are optical illusions Interference
resulting from refraction of light.
▪ A swimming pool always looks shallower than it Interference of light is the phenomena of multiple light
really is because the light coming from the waves interfering with one another under certain
bottom of the pool bends at the surface due to circumstances, causing the combined amplitudes of the
refraction of light. waves to either increase or decrease. This is because
▪ Formation of a rainbow is an example of light waves are generated randomly by most of the
refraction as the sun rays bend through the sources. This means that light waves coming out of a
raindrops resulting in the rainbow. source do not have a constant amplitude, frequency, or
▪ When white light passes through a prism it is phase.
split into its component colors – red, orange, The most common example of interference of light is
yellow, green, blue, and violet due to refraction the soap bubble which reflects wide colors when
of light. illuminated by a light source.
The soap film acts as a thin film. The reflected waves from the CD ROMS. Have you ever wondered why the back side of a CD
top and the bottom surfaces interfere. Hence, we see soap ROM exhibits shiny colors? Why Blu-Ray discs have a superior
bubble exhibiting different colors in different directions. storage in comparison to CDs?

The data in compact discs are stored and written in small

groves of the size comparable to the size of visible
wavelength. Hence, when light is incident on them, the
grooves diffract light in different directions.

What's special about Blu-ray discs? In Conventional CDs,

reading data is done using a red laser. The wavelength of red
color is around 680nm. Thereby the data storage is limited by
red color. In Blu-ray disc technology, Blue(wavelength) laser is
used to read data.
Peacocks. Peacocks’ feathers demonstrate brilliant colors. A
common misconception is that the colors are due to pigments.
The actual reason is due to the presence of periodic small
grooves (diffraction gratings) present in peacock's feather.
The periodicity of these grooves differs from one region to
another. Each set of grooves is responsible for the reflection of
a particular color. When sunlight is shined over the feather
the light interacts with the grooves resulting in the
spectacular colors.

Types of Interference

Constructive interference: Constructive

interference takes place when the crest of one
wave falls on the crest of another wave such
that the amplitude is maximum. These waves
will have the same displacement and are in the
same phase.

Butterflies. Some butterflies display shiny blue color. Wings of

this butterfly have diffraction grooves with a particular period
that permits constructive interference.

Destructive interference: In destructive

interference, the crest of one wave falls on the
trough of another wave such that the amplitude
is minimum. The displacement and phase of
Displays. Displays are made up of minute periodic physical these waves are not the same.
elements called "pixels". Each pixel is made up of the primary
colors red, green, and blue. High-resolution displays have high
pixel density. These pixels are arranged with a periodicity
comparable to the wavelength of visible light. Hence, when
sunlight or a flashlight is shined upon the display, the light is
diffracted resulting in a beautiful pattern.

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