Light

Mr. Arpit Maheshwari

HOD, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University Polytechnic
Email – hod.dip.ec@srmu.ac.in

Light
Light is a form of energy that causes the sensation of vision. Light, also known as visible light, is
electromagnetic radiation that falls within the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can
perceive. Visible light has wavelengths between 400–700 Nanometres.

Properties of Light - Following are the important properties of light –

1. Light travels in a straight line.

2. The speed of light is faster than sound. Light travels at a speed of 3 x 10 8 m/s.

3. Reflection of light - Reflection is the phenomenon in which light travelling in one medium, incident on the
surface of another and returns to the first medium, obeying the laws of reflection. According to the laws of
reflection

4. Refraction of light - Refraction is a phenomenon in which there is a change in the speed of light as it travels
from one medium to another and there is a bending of the ray of light. The refracted ray obeys the following
laws.

5. Dispersion of light - The splitting of a ray of white light into its constituent colours is called dispersion.

6. Diffraction of light - The phenomenon of bending of light around corners of small obstacles and hence it’s
encroachment into the region of the geometrical shadow is called diffraction.

7. Polarisation of light - Normal light vibrates in all directions perpendicular to the propagation of light. If the
light is constrained to vibrate in only one particular plane, then the light is called polarised light. The
phenomenon is called polarisation.

8. Interference of light - Interference is the phenomenon of modification in the intensity of light due to
redistribution of light energy in the region of superposition of two or more light waves.
Reflection of Light

Reflection or Reflection of light is the process of bouncing back light rays when it strikes the smooth and shiny
reflecting surface. Light propagates in a straight line before, after, and during reflection. For example, the
twinkling of stars or the light that a mirror reflects.

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

 The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal all lie on the same plane.
 The angle of incidence (∠i) is always equal to the angle of reflection (∠r).

Refraction of Light

Refraction of Light is the phenomenon that involves the bending of light when it travels from medium to
another. In refraction of light, a change in velocity of the light and direction of propagation occurs. When light
travels through a substance with a different refractive index, refraction of light takes place.
Laws of Refraction of Light

The refraction of light traveling through different mediums follows some laws. There are two laws of refraction
as stated below which at the sight of refraction, the light follows, and we see the refracted image of the object.

 The reflected, incident, and the normal at the point of incidence all will tend to lie in the same plane.
 Secondly, the ratio of the sine of the angle of the incidence and refraction is constant which is termed
Snell’s law.

where i is the angle of incidence, r is the angle of refraction, the constant value depends on the refractive
indexes of the two mediums.

Refractive Index

A refractive index is a number that explains how fast light travels when passed through a material. Refractive
Index is a dimensionless quantity. For a given material or medium, the refractive index is considered the ratio
between the speed of light in a vacuum (c) to the speed of light in the medium (v) on which it goes. The
Refractive index for a medium is represented by small n, and it is given by the following formula:

n=c/v
where
 c is the speed of the light in a vacuum, and
 v is the speed of light in the medium.
The given velocities of light in different media can give the refractive index by the following also where the
first medium is not vacuum:
n21 = v1 / v2

where n21 is the refractive index of 2 with respect to 1.

Snell’s Law

According to Snell’s law, the ratio of the sine of the incident angle to the sine of the refracted angle is a
constant, for any light of a given color or for any given pair of media. The constant value is called the refractive
index of the second medium with respect to the first.
Snell’s Law is given by the relation,

where,
 i and r are the angle of incidence and refraction,
 n is the refractive index and n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of medium 1 and 2, and
 v1 and v2 are the speed of light in medium 1 and 2 respectively.

What are Rarer and Denser mediums?

1. Rarer medium (or Optically Rarer medium) is a medium in which the speed of light is more. For
example, Air is optically rarer medium as compared to glass and water.

2. Denser medium (or Optically Denser medium) is a medium in which the speed of light is less. For
example, Glass is optically denser medium as compared to air.

Applications of Refraction of Light

Refraction has many wide and common applications in optics and also in technology. A few of them are given
below:
 A lens uses the refraction phenomenon to form an image of an object or body for various purposes, such
as magnification.
 Spectacles that are worn by people with defective vision use the principle of refraction.
 Refraction is used in peepholes of the house doors for safety, in cameras, inside movie projectors, and
also in telescopes.

Example 1: What is the constant value if the angle of incidence is 22° and the angle of refraction is given
to be 15°?

Solution:
As we know,
sin i / sin r = constant
Given sin i = sin 22° and sin r = sin 22°
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin 22° / sin 15° = 1.44
Hence, the value of constant or refractive index is 1.44.

Example 2: What is the constant value if the angle of incidence is 30° and the angle of refraction is given
to be 46°?

Solution:
Since, the
sin i / sin r = constant
Given sin i= sin 30° and sin r= sin 46°
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin 30° / sin 46° = 1.44
Hence, the constant is 1.44.

Example 3: What is the value of the sine of the angle of incidence if the angle of refraction is given to
be sin 35°? Given the value of refractive index 1.33.
Solution:
As we know,
{sin i}/{sin r} =constant
Given constant= 1.33 and sin r = sin 35° = 0.57
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin i / sin 35° = 1.33
sin i = 1.33 × 0.57
= 0.75

Total Internal Reflection

The phenomenon which occurs when the light rays travel from a more optically denser medium to a less
optically denser medium.

Conditions of Total Internal Reflection

Following are the two conditions of total internal reflection:
 The light ray moves from a more dense medium to a less dense medium.
 The angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle.

Illustration of Total Internal Reflection

Consider the case below. A beam of light travels from a watery medium to one of air. The lightray will be
refracted at the point where the two mediums meet. The refracted light beam bends away from the normal as it
passes from a medium with a higher refractive index to one with a lower refractive index.
 The incident beam of light is refracted in such a way that it travels over the water’s surface at a certain
angle of incidence.
 The critical angle is the angle of incidence at which something happens. The refraction angle is 90° here.
 The incident ray is reflected back to the medium when the angle of incidence is larger than the critical
angle. This event is referred to as total internal reflection.
From the above observation, we can conclude two formulas:

 Total Internal Reflection n1 Ú n2 = sin r Ú sin i

where,
 i is the angle of incidence,
 r is the angle of refraction,
 n1 is the denser medium, &
 n2 is the rarer medium.

 Critical Angle θc = sin−1(n2 Ú n1)

where, θc is the critical angle.

Examples of Total Internal Reflection

Diamond: When the incident ray falls on every face of the diamond such that the angle formed, the ray is
greater than the critical angle. The critical value of the diamond is 23°. This condition is responsible for the total
internal reflection in a diamond which makes it shine.

Mirage: It is an optical illusion that is responsible for the appearance of the water layer at short distances in a
desert or on the road. Mirage is an example of total internal reflection which occurs due to atmospheric
refraction.

Optical Fibres - The optical fibres are made up of several thousands of very long fibres of quartz or glass.
These fibres are coated with a layer of material that has a lower refractive index. Thus the light entering
undergoes multiple total internal reflections. Thus signals are transferred speedily with no loss of light on the
sides of the fibre.

Question 1: Determine the refractive index of a medium with a critical angle of 45°.

Answer:
Critical angle, θc = 45°
Refractive index of the medium, μ = 1 Ú sin θc
μ = 1 Ú sin 45°
= 1.414
Hence, the refractive index of a medium is 1.414.

References:
1. Kumar Mittal “Nootan Physics for class XI & XII” Ngeen Publications
2. https://byjus.com/jee/properties-of-light/
3. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reflection-of-light/
4. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/refraction-of-light/
5. https://byjus.com/physics/reflection-of-light/
6. https://byjus.com/physics/refraction/
7. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/total-internal-reflection/