Light

Reflection and Dispersion

 What is light ?
• Light is a form of energy that enables us to see.
• An object reflects the light rays that fall on it.
• These reflected light rays, when received by our eyes,
make the object visible to us.
• We are able to see through a transparent medium as light
is transmitted through it. The speed of light in vacuum or
in air is 3 × 108 ms-1
 Some Important Terms Related to Light
• Incident ray: The ray of light which falls on the mirror or smooth surface.
• Reflected ray: The ray of light which is sent back by the mirror is known
as reflected ray.
• Point of Incidence: The point at which the incident ray falls on the mirror
is called the point of incidence.
• Normal: The normal is a line at right angle to the mirror surface at the
point of incidence.
• Angle of Incidence: This is the angle made by the incident ray with the
normal at the point of incidence.
• Angle of Reflection: This is the angle made by the reflected ray with
normal at the point of incidence.
Reflection of Light The phenomenon of bouncing back of light rays in the
same medium on striking a smooth surface is called reflection of light.

Laws of Reflection
(i) Angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection. Li= Lr

(ii) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of
incidence, all lie in the same plane.

#Note :- Silver metal is one of the best reflector of light.

A ray of light which is incident normally on a mirror is reflected back along its
own path. Law of reflection can be applied to all kinds of reflecting surface.
Regular and Diffused Reflection
• When a beam of incident light is reflected as a parallel
beam in one direction, the regular reflection of light
takes place from a smooth surface.
• A highly polished metal surface polished wooden table,
and still water surface produce regular reflection of
light.
• Diffused reflection takes place through the rough
surfaces.
• Reflection through cardboard, paper table, walls,
unpolished metal objects, etc. are the examples of
diffused reflection.
• A book lying on a table can be observed by us due to
diffuse reflection of light falling on the book.
• The reflection of light back and forth several time
between reflecting surfaces is called multiple
reflection.
 Multiple Reflections
When light reflects off one mirror or reflective surface and strikes another, it can be
reflected again. This phenomenon is known as multiple reflections. It results in more than
one reflection, creating additional images or patterns.
The number of images formed by two mirrors at an angle θ\thetaθ can be calculated
using the formula:
360
Number of Images = - 1
θ

Applications of Multiple Reflections:

•Kaleidoscope: A kaleidoscope is a popular example that
uses multiple reflections. It consists of two or more mirrors
placed at angles within a tube. When colorful objects inside
are rotated, the multiple reflections produce beautiful,
symmetric patterns.
•Periscope: A periscope, commonly used in submarines,
utilizes multiple reflections to allow people to see over
obstacles. Mirrors placed at 45° angles reflect images through
the periscope tube.
 Mirrors
Mirrors
A mirror is a polished surface, often made of glass, that reflects nearly all the light that
hits it. There are two main types of mirrors:
1.Plane Mirror:
•A plane mirror has a flat, reflective surface.
•The image formed by a plane mirror is always virtual (meaning it cannot be
projected onto a screen) and upright or erect .
•The image size is the same as the object’s size, and it appears as far behind the
mirror as the object is in front.
•Light that hits a plane mirror at a right angle reflects straight back, with no angle
between the incoming and outgoing rays.
•The image is laterally inverted, meaning the left side appears on the right and
vice versa.
•A plane mirror has no curvature.
Uses of Plane Mirrors:
•Used as a looking glass for personal grooming.
•Used in periscopes, which help people in submarines see above the water.
•Used in kaleidoscopes, toys that create beautiful patterns with colorful materials.
Spherical mirrors

A spherical mirror is a mirror with a curved surface, similar to a slice

of a hollow sphere. Spherical mirrors come in two main types:
1.Concave Mirror:
1. A concave mirror has an inward-curving reflective surface, like the
inside of a bowl.
2. It can produce different types of images depending on how far the
object is from the mirror.
3. When the object is close to the mirror, the image formed is large and
upright.
4. When the object is farther away, the mirror forms a real, inverted
image that can be seen on a screen.
5. Common uses include shaving mirrors, makeup mirrors, and headlights in
vehicles, as it can focus light and make objects appear larger when
close like used by dentist.
Spherical mirrors
2. Convex Mirror:
1. A convex mirror has an outward-curving
reflective surface, like the outside of a
ball.
2. The image formed by a convex mirror is
always virtual (cannot be projected onto a
screen), upright, and smaller than the
actual object.
3. Convex mirrors are used in places where a
wider field of view is needed, such as in
car side mirrors and at road intersections,
because they allow us to see a larger area.
 Refraction of light
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from
one medium (like air) into another (like water or
glass). This bending happens because light changes
speed when it moves between different materials.
Here’s how it works:
1.Why Refraction Occurs:
1. Light travels at different speeds in different
materials. It moves fastest in air, slower in water,
and even slower in glass.
2. When light enters a new medium at an angle, the
change in speed causes the light to bend.
2.Direction of Bending:
1. If light enters a denser medium (like from air
into water), it slows down and bends toward the
normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the
surface).
2. If light moves from a denser to a less dense
medium (like from water to air), it speeds up and
 Lens
A lens is a transparent, curved piece of glass or plastic
that bends light rays to form an image. Lenses are used in
many everyday objects, like eyeglasses, cameras,
microscopes, and magnifying glasses. There are two main
types of lenses:
1.Convex Lens (Converging Lens):
1. A convex lens is thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges.
2. It converges (brings together) light rays that pass through it,
focusing them to a point.
3. Convex lenses can produce different types of images
4. Common uses: Convex lenses are used in magnifying glasses,
cameras, and corrective glasses for people with farsightedness.
 Lens
1.Concave Lens (Diverging Lens):
1. A concave lens is thinner in the middle and thicker at the
edges.
2. It diverges (spreads out) light rays that pass through it,
making them appear to come from a single point.
3. Concave lenses always produce a virtual, upright, and smaller
image.
4. Common uses: Concave lenses are used in corrective glasses
for people with nearsightedness.
 Dispersion of light
Dispersion is the process by which white light splits into its
component colors when it passes through a transparent
medium, like a prism. Each color in the visible spectrum
bends by a different amount, creating a rainbow effect.
Here’s how it works:
1.Why Dispersion Happens:
1. White light is made up of different colors, each with a unique
wavelength (or color) and speed.
2. When white light enters a prism, each color bends at a
different angle due to differences in their speeds in the new
medium.
3. This separation of colors is called dispersion.
2.Colors of Dispersion:
1. The colors separated by dispersion form the spectrum of
visible light, often remembered by the acronym VIBGYOR:
Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red.
2. Red bends the least and appears at the top of the spectrum,
while violet bends the most and appears at the bottom.
HUMAN EYE
HUMAN EYE
 HUMAN EYE
The human eye is one of the most valuable and sensitive sense
organ in the human body.
It consists of a lens, which is made up of living tissues.

Structure of the Eye:

•Cornea: The transparent, curved outer layer at the front of the eye. It
helps focus light as it enters the eye.

•Iris: The colored part of the eye, which controls the size of the pupil.
By adjusting its size, the iris controls how much light enters the eye.

•Pupil: The small, black, circular opening in the center of the iris. It
expands or contracts to regulate light intake.
 HUMAN EYE
•Lens: A transparent, flexible structure behind the pupil. The
lens focuses light onto the retina by changing shape to adjust
for seeing objects at different distances.
•Retina: The thin, light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye.
It has special cells called rods (which detect light intensity)
and cones (which detect color).
•Optic Nerve: The nerve that carries visual information from
the retina to the brain, where the image is processed and
interpreted.
ciliary muscle The ciliary muscle is a small, ring-shaped muscle in
the eye that plays a crucial role in adjusting vision for seeing objects at
different distances.
 Defects and Care of Eyes
(i) Myopia (Short Sightedness)
• It is a defect of eye because of which we cannot see farther objects clearly
though we can see near objects clearly.
• Causes: A person with this defect has the far point nearer than infinity. This
defect arises due to the decrease in focal length of the lens because of
• Excessive curvature of eye lens,
• Elongation of the eyeball.
• As a result, the image is formed before retina.
• Remedy: This defect can be corrected by using concave lens of appropriate
power.
 Defects and Care of Eyes
(ii) Hypermetropia (Long Sightedness)
• This is the defect of eye because of which we can not see the near
objects clearly while we can see distant objects clearly.
• Causes :
• Focal length of eye lens becomes large.
• Eyeball becomes too short, so that the image is formed behind
retina.
• Remedy: This defect can be corrected by using convex lens of
appropriate power.
 Defects and Care of Eyes
(iii) Presbyopia
• This defect is a combination of myopia and hypermetropia.
• Causes :
• Weakness of ciliary muscles.
• Hardening of eye lens or loss of elasticity.
• Remedy: This defect can be corrected by using bifocal or varifocal
lenses which consist of both convex and concave lenses. The upper
portion consists of a concave lens (for myopia) and lower portion
consists of convex lens (for hypermetropia).
 Defects and Care of Eyes
(iv) Astigmatism
• In this defect, the horizontal and vertical lines are not seen
clearly simultaneously.
• Causes: This defect arises due to imperfect shape (not
perfectly spherical) of cornea or the lens or of both.
• Remedy: This defect can be corrected by using cylindrical
lenses or refractive surgery.
Visually Challenged Person and Braille System
• Some persons may lose their eye sight due to disease. Some
persons cannot see at all from birth.

• Those persons who are unable to see are known as visually

challenged persons.

• Such persons develop their other senses more sharply. They try
to identify things by touching and by listening to voices more
carefully.
•
Visually Challenged Person and Braille System
• The most popular resources for visually challenged person
which can make them read and write is Braille. It is a written
language for the visually challenged person.

• Louis Braille, himself a visually challenged person, developed a

system for visually challenged persons and published it in 1821.

• Many Indian languages can be read and written by using the

Braille system.
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