Chapter 26 Geometrical Optics: The Reflection of Light: Mirrors

Chapter 26 Geometrical Optics
The Reflection of Light: Mirrors:

Mirrors produce images because the light that
strikes them is reflected, rather than absorbed.
Reflected light does much more than produce
dramatic and beautiful pictures, however. For
example, it allows our sense of vision to be
remarkably useful. When we "see" an object, light
from it enters our eyes and evokes the sensation
of vision. Some objects themselves produce the
light that we see, like the sun, a flame, or a
light bulb. Most objects, though, reflect into
our eyes light that originates elsewhere, and if
it were not for reflection, we would not be able
to see them. Much more practical applications of
light reflection range from measuring the speeds
of automobiles to reading price information from
bar codes at the supermarket.
Basic Terms
Wave front
Wave fronts are surfaces on which all points of a

wave are in the same phase of motion.
Plane wave
If the wave fronts are flat surfaces, the wave is

called a plane wave.
Ray
Rays are lines that are perpendicular to the wave

fronts and point in the direction of the velocity
of the wave.
Reflection
When light reflects from a smooth surface, the
reflected light obeys the law of reflection, which
states that (a) the incident ray, the reflected ray,
and the normal to the surface all lie in the same
plane, and (b) the angle of reflection equals the
angle of incidence.
Images
A virtual image is one from which rays of light do not
actually come, but only appear to do so. A real image
is one from which rays of light actually emanate.
Mirrors
(a) A plane mirror forms an upright, virtual image
that is located as far as the object is in front of
it. In addition, the height of the image and the
object are equal.
(b) A spherical mirror has the shape of a section from
the surface of a sphere.
Principal axis
The principle axis of a mirror is a straight line
drawn through the center of curvature and the middle
of the mirror's surface.
Paraxial ray
Rays that lie close to the principle axis are known as
paraxial rays.
Radius of curvature
The radius of curvature R of the mirror is the
distance from the center of curvature to the mirror.
Focal point
(a) The focal point of a concave spherical mirror is a
point on the principal axis, in front of the mirror.
Incident paraxial rays that are parallel to the
principle axis converge to the focal point after being
reflected from the concave mirror.
(b) The focal point of a convex spherical mirror is a

point on the principal axis behind the mirror. For a
convex mirror, paraxial rays that are parallel to the
principal axis seem to diverge from the focal point.
Refraction of Light: Lenses

Light can travel through many different media,
such as solids, liquids, and gases, although it
does so at different speeds. When light passes
from one medium, such as air, into another
medium, such as glass, the difference in speeds
leads to a change in the direction of travel.
This directional change or bending lies at the
heart of some remarkable effects, depending on
the nature of the materials and their shapes. The
change in direction of travel is also responsible
for rainbows and the sparkle of diamonds. It is
the basis for the important field of fiber
optics. Countless applications and devices are
made possible through the property of the
refraction of light.
Basic Terms
Refraction
When light strikes the interface between two

media, part of the light is reflected and the
remainder is transmitted across the interface.
The change in the direction of travel as light
passes from one medium into another is called
refraction.
Index of refraction
The index of refraction n of a material is the ratio

of the speed of light c in vacuum to the speed of
light v in the material: n = c/v.
Snell's law of refraction

Snell's law of refraction states that (1) the
refracted ray, the incident ray, and the normal to the
interface all lie in the same plane, and (2) the angle
of refraction θ2 is related to the angle of incidence
θ1 by
n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction of

the incident and refracting media, respectively.
The angles are measured relative to the normal.
Critical angle
When light passes from a medium of larger refractive
index n1 into one of smaller refractive index n2, the
refracted ray is bent away from the normal. If the
incident ray is at the critical angle, the angle of
refraction is 90o The critical angle can be determined
from Snell's law and given by
sin(θc) = n2/n1
Total internal reflection

When the angle of incidence exceeds the critical
angle, all the incident light is reflected back into
the medium from which it came, a phenomenon known as
total internal reflection.
Brewster angle
When light is incident on a nonmetallic surface at
the Brewster angle (θB), the reflected light is
completely polarized parallel to the surface. The
Brewster angle is given by
tan(θB) = n2/n1
where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the

incident and refracting media, respectively. When
light is incident at the Brewster angle, the
reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to
each other.
Lens
The lenses used in optical instruments, such as
eyeglasses, cameras, and telescopes, are made from
transparent materials they refract light. They refract
the light in such a way that an image of the source of
the light is formed. Depending on the phenomenon of
refraction in forming an image, lenses are classified
into two types: converging lenses and diverging
lenses. (a) With a converging lens, paraxial rays that
are parallel to the principal axis are focuses to a
point on the axis by the lens (see Figure 26.30). (b)
With a diverging lens, paraxial rays that are parallel
to the principal axis appear to originate from its
focal point after passing through the lens (see Figure
26-31).
Focal point
(a) The focal point of a converging lens is a point on
the principal axis. Incident paraxial rays that are
parallel to the principle axis converge to the focal
point after passing through the lens.
(b) The focal point of a diverging lens is a point on
the principal axis. Incident paraxial rays that are
parallel to the principal axis seem to originate from
the focal point after passing through the lens.
Focal length
The distance from the focal point to the lens along
its principal axis.
Ray diagram
The image produced by a converging or a diverging lens
can be located using a technique called ray diagram.
See Figure 26-33,26-34,26-35 for the detailed
constructing steps.
Thin-lens equation
The thin-lens equation can be used with either
converging or diverging lenses that are thin, and it
relates the object distance do, the image distance di,
and the focal length f of the lens:
1/do + 1/di = 1/f
Magnification equation
The magnification m of a lens is the ratio of the
image height hi to the object height ho. The
magnification is also related to do and di by the
magnification equation:
m = -(di/do)

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Chapter 26 Geometrical Optics: The Reflection of Light: Mirrors

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Chapter 26 Geometrical Optics

The Reflection of Light: Mirrors:

Wave fronts are surfaces on which all points of a

If the wave fronts are flat surfaces, the wave is

Rays are lines that are perpendicular to the wave

(b) The focal point of a convex spherical mirror is a

Refraction of Light: Lenses

When light strikes the interface between two

The index of refraction n of a material is the ratio

Snell's law of refraction

where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction of

Total internal reflection

where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the

1/do + 1/di = 1/f

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