Light and Reflection

Table of Contents
Section 1 Characteristics of Light

Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Section 4 Color and Polarization

Section 1 Characteristics of Light

Objectives

• Describe how the brightness of a light source is

affected by distance.

• Distinguish between specular and diffuse reflection

of light.

• Apply the law of reflection for flat mirrors.

• Describe the nature of images formed by flat mirrors.

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 Section 1 Characteristics of Light

Electromagnetic Waves (Light)

Section 1 Characteristics of Light

Illumination of a Surface-Sample problem

• What is the illuminance at on your desktop if it is
lighted by a 1750-lm lamp that is 2.50 m above your
desk?

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 Questions

1. What is the illumination on a surface that is 3.0

m below a 150-W incandescent lamp that emits
a luminous flux of 2275 lm?

2. A public school law requires a minimum

illuminance of 160 lx at the surface of each
student’s desk. An architect’s specifications call
for classroom lights to be located 2.0 m above
the desks. What is the minimum luminous flux
that the lights must produce?

Section 1 Characteristics of Light

Electromagnetic Waves (Light)

• For a point source, illuminance follows an inverse-
square relationship with distance and a direct
relationship with luminous flux

• If you are reading a book and you move twice

as far away from the light source, how does the
brightness at the new distance compare with
that at the old distance?

It is one-fourth as bright

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 Solution

Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Reflection of Light
• Reflection is the change in direction of an
electromagnetic wave at a surface that causes it to
move away from the surface.

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 Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Reflection of Light, continued

• The angle of incidence is the angle between a ray
that strikes a surface and the line perpendicular to
that surface at the point of contact.

• The angle of reflection is the angle formed by the

line perpendicular to a surface and the direction in
which a reflected ray moves.

Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Reflection of Light, continued

•

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 Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Reflection of Light, continued

The texture of a surface affects
how it reflects light.
– Diffuse reflection is
reflection from a rough,
texture surface such as
paper or unpolished
wood.
– Specular reflection is
reflection from a smooth,
shiny surface such as a
mirror or a water surface.

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Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Question
• Categorize each of the following as a specular or a
diffuse reflecting surface : paper, polished metal,
window glass, rough metal, plastic milk jug, smooth
water surface, and ground glass.

Specular: window glass, smooth water,

polished metal.
Diffuse: paper, rough metal, ground glass,
plastic milk jug.

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 Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Plane Mirror
• Flat mirrors form virtual images that are the same
distance from the mirror’s surface as the object is.

• The image formed by rays that appear to come from

the image point behind the mirror—but never really
do—is called a virtual image.

• A virtual image can never be displayed on a physical

surface.
• Images formed by a plane mirror is inverted ( left right
reveral)

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Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Properties of Images formed by a Plane Mirror

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 Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Sample Example:
1. If a light ray reflects off a plane mirror at an angle
of 35° to the normal, what was the angle of incidence
of the ray?

2. Reflection A light ray strikes a flat, smooth, reflecting

surface at an angle of 80° to the normal. What is the angle
that the reflected ray makes with the surface of the mirror?

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Section 2 Flat Mirrors

Question:
1. A 50-cm-tall dog stands 3 m from a plane mirror and
looks at its image. What is the image position, height, and
type?

2.Ifthe angle of incidence of a ray of light is 42º, what

is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected
ray
42+42= 84

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 Group work

• Why does a plane mirror image appear to

be behind the mirror?
• Why does a flat mirror appear to reverse the
person looking into a mirror left to right, but
not up and down?
• What is meant by the phrase “normal to the
surface”?
• Describe the properties of a plane mirror.

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Objectives
• Calculate distances and focal lengths using the mirror
equation for concave and convex spherical mirrors.

• Draw ray diagrams to find the image distance and

magnification for concave and convex spherical
mirrors.

• Distinguish between real and virtual images.

• Describe how parabolic mirrors differ from spherical

mirrors.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Concave Spherical Mirrors

There can be two types of mirror:
• Curved mirror and plane mirror.
• If a curved mirror is a part of a sphere then it is
known as a spherical mirror.
• The image formed by a plane mirror is always a
virtual image as it cannot be obtained on a screen.
The image formed by the spherical mirror can be
either real or virtual.
• Spherical mirrors are of two types:
• Convex mirrors Convex

• Concave mirrors
Concave

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Concave Spherical Mirrors

• A concave spherical mirror is a mirror whose
reflecting surface is a segment of the inside of a
sphere.
• Light converges at a point when it strikes and reflects
back from the reflecting surface of the concave
mirror. Hence, it is also known as a converging
mirror.

Concave

Convex

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Concave Spherical Mirrors

• The radius of curvature R:
• is the distance from the mirror’s
surface to the center of
curvature, C.

• The principal axis which is the

straight line perpendicular to the
surface of the mirror that divides
the mirror in half.

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Concave Spherical Mirrors

• The focal length, f, is the position of the focal

point with respect to the mirror along the
principal axis and can be expressed as f = r/2.
•
• The focal length is positive for a concave
mirror.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Ray diagrams can be used for concave

spherical mirrors

• Ray diagrams can be used for checking values

calculated from the mirror and magnification
equations for concave spherical mirrors.

• Concave mirrors can produce both real and virtual

images.

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Rules for Drawing Reference Rays for Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Ray Tracing for a Concave Spherical Mirror

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Ray Tracing for a Concave Spherical Mirror

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Ray Tracing for a Concave Spherical Mirror

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Concave Spherical Mirrors, continued

• The Mirror Equation relates object distance (p),
image distance (q), and focal length (f) of a spherical
mirror.
1 1 1
+ =
p q f
1 1 1
+ =
object distance image distance focal length

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Concave Spherical Mirrors, continued

• The Equation for Magnification relates image height
or distance to object height or distance, respectively.
h' q
M= =–
h p
image height image distance
magnification = =–
object height object distance

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem
Imaging with Concave Mirrors
A concave spherical mirror has a focal length of
10.0 cm. Locate the image of a pencil that is
placed upright 30.0 cm from the mirror. Find the
magnification of the image. Draw a ray diagram to
confirm your answer.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Imaging with Concave Mirrors
1. Determine the sign and magnitude of the focal
length and object size.
f = +10.0 cm p = +30.0 cm
The mirror is concave, so f is positive. The object is
in front of the mirror, so p is positive.

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Imaging with Concave Mirrors
2. Draw a ray diagram using the rules for drawing
reference rays.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Imaging with Concave Mirrors
3. Use the mirror equation to relate the object and
image distances to the focal length.
1 1 1
+ =
p q f
4. Use the magnification equation in terms of object
and image distances.
q
M=–
p

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

5. Rearrange the equation to isolate the image
distance, and calculate. Subtract the reciprocal of
the object distance from the reciprocal of the focal
length to obtain an expression for the unknown
image distance.

1 1 1
= –
q f p

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Substitute the values for f and p into the mirror
equation and the magnification equation to find the
image distance and magnification.
1 1 1 0.100 0.033 0.067
= – = – =
q 10.0 cm 30.0 cm cm cm cm
q = 15 cm
q 15 cm
M=– =– = –0.50
p 30.0 cm

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

6. Evaluate your answer in terms of the image
location and size.
The image appears between the focal point (10.0
cm) and the center of curvature (20.0 cm), as
confirmed by the ray diagram. The image is smaller
than the object and inverted (–1 < M < 0), as is also
confirmed by the ray diagram. The image is
therefore real.

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 Concave Section 3 Curved Mirrors

mirror

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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 Uses of Concave mirrors
• Shaving mirrors
• Head mirrors
• Ophthalmoscope
• Astronomical telescopes
• Headlights
• Solar furnaces

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Convex Spherical Mirrors

• A convex spherical mirror is a
mirror whose reflecting surface is
outward-curved segment of a sphere.
• A convex mirror is also known as a
diverging mirror as this mirror
diverges light when they strike on its
reflecting surface
• Light rays diverge upon reflection
from a convex mirror, forming a
virtual image that is always smaller
than the object.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Image Formation by a Convex Spherical Mirror

The image is virtual, erect and diminished.

The focal length is negative for a convex mirror.

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sign Conventions for Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sign Conventions for Mirrors

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem
Convex Mirrors
An upright pencil is placed in front of a convex
spherical mirror with a focal length of 8.00 cm. An
erect image 2.50 cm tall is formed 4.44 cm behind
the mirror. Find the position of the object, the
magnification of the image, and the height of the
pencil.

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Convex Mirrors
Given:
Because the mirror is convex, the focal length is
negative. The image is behind the mirror, so q is
also negative.
f = –8.00 cm q = –4.44 cm h’ = 2.50 cm
Unknown:
p=? h=?

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Convex Mirrors
Diagram:

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Convex Mirrors
2. Plan
Choose an equation or situation: Use the mirror
equation and the magnification formula.
1 1 1 h' q
+ = and M= =–
p q f h p
Rearrange the equation to isolate the unknown:
1 1 1 p
= – and h=– h'
p f q q

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Convex Mirrors
3. Calculate
Substitute the values into the equation and solve:
1 1 1
= –
p –8.00 cm –4.44 cm
1 –0.125 –0.225 0.100
= – =
p cm cm cm
p = 10.0 cm

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Sample Problem, continued

Convex Mirrors
3. Calculate, continued
Substitute the values for p and q to find the magnifi-
cation of the image.
q –4.44 cm
M=– =– M = 0.444
p 10.0 cm
Substitute the values for p, q, and h’ to find the height
of the object.
p 10.0 cm
h = – h' = – (2.50 cm)
q –4.44 cm
h = 5.63 cm

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors
Chapter 13

46 cm

53

Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

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57

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Parabolic Mirrors
• Images created by spherical mirrors suffer from
spherical aberration.

• Spherical aberration occurs when parallel rays far

from the principal axis converge away from the
mirrors focal point.

• Parabolic mirrors eliminate spherical aberration. All

parallel rays converge at the focal point of a parabolic
mirror.

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Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Spherical Aberration and Parabolic Mirrors

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 Section 3 Curved Mirrors

Reflecting Telescope
There are two types of
telescopes that use visible
light. One type, called a
refracting telescope, uses a
combination of lenses to form
an image. The other kind
uses a curved mirror and
small lenses to form an
image. This type of telescope
is called a reflecting
telescope.

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Objectives
• Recognize how additive colors affect the color of
light.

• Recognize how pigments affect the color of reflected

light.

• Explain how linearly polarized light is formed and

detected.

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 Section 4 Color and Polarization

Color
• Additive primary colors produce white light when
combined.

• Light of different colors can be produced by adding

light consisting of the primary additive colors (red,
green, and blue).

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Additive Color Mixing

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 Section 4 Color and Polarization

Color, continued
• Subtractive primary colors filter out all light when
combined.

• Pigments can be produced by combining subtractive

colors (magenta, yellow, and cyan).

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Subtractive Color Mixing

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 Section 4 Color and Polarization

Polarization of Light Waves

• Linear polarization is the
alignment of electro-magnetic
waves in such a way that the
vibrations of the electric fields in
each of the waves are parallel to
each other.
• Light can be linearly polarized
through transmission.
• The line along which light is
polarized is called the
transmission axis of that
substance.

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Aligned and Crossed Polarizing Filters

Aligned Filters Crossed Filters

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 Section 4 Color and Polarization

Linearly Polarized Light

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Polarization of Light Waves

• Light can be polarized by reflection and scattering.

• At a particular angle, reflected light is polarized

horizontally.

• The sunlight scattered by air molecules is polarized

for an observer on Earth’s surface.

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 Section 4 Color and Polarization

Polarization by Reflection and Scattering

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Section 4 Color and Polarization

Polaroid Sunglasses

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 Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice
1. Which equation is correct for calculating the focal
point of a spherical mirror?
A. 1/f = 1/p – 1/q
B. 1/f = 1/p + 1/q
C. 1/p = 1/f + 1/q
D. 1/q = 1/f + 1/p

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Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

2. Which of the following statements is true about the
speeds of gamma rays and radio waves in a
vacuum?
F. Gamma rays travel faster than radio waves.
G. Radio rays travel faster than gamma rays.
H. Gamma rays and radio waves travel at the same
speed in a vacuum.
J. The speed of gamma rays and radio waves in a
vacuum depends on their frequencies.

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 Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

3. Which of the following correctly states the law of
reflection?
A. The angle between an incident ray of light and the normal to
the mirror’s surface equals the angle between the mirror’s
surface and the reflected light ray.
B. The angle between an incident ray of light and the mirror’s
surface equals the angle between the normal to the mirror’s
surface and the reflected light ray.
C. The angle between an incident ray of light and the normal to
the mirror’s surface equals the angle between the normal and
the reflected light ray.
D. The angle between an incident ray of light and the normal to
the mirror’s surface is complementary to the angle between the
normal and the reflected light ray.

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Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

4. Which of the following processes does not linearly
polarize light?
F. scattering
G. transmission
H. refraction
J. reflection

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 Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

Use the ray diagram below 5. Which kind of mirror is
to answer questions 5–7. shown in the ray
diagram?
A. flat
B. convex
C. concave
D. Not enough
information is available
to draw a conclusion.

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Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

Use the ray diagram below 6. What is true of the
to answer questions 5–7. image formed by the
mirror?
F. virtual, upright, and
diminished
G. real, inverted, and
diminished
H. virtual, upright, and
enlarged
J. real, inverted, and
enlarged

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 Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

Use the ray diagram below 7. What is the focal length
to answer questions 5–7. of the mirror?
A. –10.0 cm
B. –4.30 cm
C. 4.30 cm
D. 10.0 cm

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Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

8. Which combination of primary additive colors will
produce magenta-colored light?
F. green and blue
G. red and blue
H. green and red
J. cyan and yellow

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 Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

9. What is the frequency of an infrared wave that has a
vacuum wavelength of 5.5 µm?
A. 165 Hz
B. 5.5 ´ 1010 Hz
C. 5.5 ´ 1013 Hz
D. 5.5 ´ 1016 Hz

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Standardized Test Prep

Multiple Choice, continued

10. If the distance from a light source is increased by a
factor of 5, by how many times brighter does the light
appear?
F. 25
G. 5
H. 1/5
J. 1/25

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 Standardized Test Prep

Short Response, continued

11. White light is passed through a filter that allows only
yellow, green, and blue light to pass through it. This
light is then shone on a piece of blue fabric and on a
piece of red fabric. Which colors do the two pieces of
fabric appear to have under this light?

Answer:
The blue fabric appears blue. The red fabric
appears black.

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Standardized Test Prep

Short Response, continued

12. The clothing department of a
store has a mirror that consists
of three flat mirrors, each
arranged so that a person
standing before the mirrors can
see how an article of clothing
looks from the side and back.
Suppose a ray from a flashlight
is shined on the mirror on the
left. If the incident ray makes an Answer: 65º
angle of 65º with respect to the
normal to the mirror’s surface,
what will be the angle q of the
ray reflected from the mirror on
the right?

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 Standardized Test Prep

Short Response, continued

13. X rays emitted from material around compact
massive stars, such as neutron stars or black holes,
serve to help locate and identify such objects. What
would be the wavelength of the X rays emitted from
material around such an object if the X rays have a
frequency of 5.0 ´ 1019 Hz?

Answer: 6.0 ´ 10–12 m = 6.0 pm

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Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

14. Explain how you can use a piece of polarizing
plastic to determine if light is linearly polarized.

Answer: Polarized light will pass through the plastic

when the transmission axis of the plastic is parallel
with the light’s plane of polarization. Rotating the
plastic 90º will prevent the polarized light from
passing through the plastic, so the plastic appears
dark. If light is not linearly polarized, rotating the
plastic 90º will have no effect on the light’s intensity.

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 Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

Use the ray diagram below to 15. What is the distance
answer questions 15–19. between the surface of
A candle is placed 30.0 cm from
the reflecting surface of a
the mirror and the
concave mirror. The radius of image?
curvature of the mirror is 20.0 cm.
Answer: 15.0 cm

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Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

Use the ray diagram below to 16. What is the focal
answer questions 15–19. length of the mirror?
A candle is placed 30.0 cm from
the reflecting surface of a
concave mirror. The radius of Answer: 10.0 cm
curvature of the mirror is 20.0 cm.

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 Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

Use the ray diagram below to 17. What is the
answer questions 15–19. magnification of the
A candle is placed 30.0 cm from
the reflecting surface of a
image?
concave mirror. The radius of
curvature of the mirror is 20.0 cm.
Answer: –0.500

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Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

Use the ray diagram below to 18. If the candle is 12 cm
answer questions 15–19. tall, what is the image
A candle is placed 30.0 cm from
the reflecting surface of a
height?
concave mirror. The radius of
curvature of the mirror is 20.0 cm.
Answer: –6.0 cm

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 Standardized Test Prep

Extended Response, continued

Use the ray diagram below to 19. Is the image real or
answer questions 15–19. virtual? Is it upright or
A candle is placed 30.0 cm from
the reflecting surface of a
inverted?
concave mirror. The radius of
curvature of the mirror is 20.0 cm.
Answer: real; inverted

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