1

` REFRACTION OF LIGHT

The bending of light when it passes from one material (called a medium) to another is called refraction.

LAWS OF REFRACTION

(i) A ray of light is bent towards the normal when it enters an optically denser medium at
an angle. ie the angle of refraction r is less than the angle of incidence i.
(ii) A ray of light is bent away from the normal when it enters an optically less dense
medium e.g from glass to air.
(iii) A ray emerging from a parallel – sided block is parallel to the ray entering but is
displaced sideways.

(iv) A ray through the normal is not refracted.

 2

For light rays passing from one transparent medium to another, the sine of angle of incidence and the
sine of angle of refraction are in constant ratio.

sine i Snell’s law

n=
sine r

Where n is a constant or refractive index.

E.g Calculate the refractive index of glass in the example given.

sine i
n=
sine r

sin 30 °
n= = 1.47
sin 20 °

REFRACTIVE INDEX AND SPEED OF LIGHT

Light is refracted because its speed changes when it enters another medium.

speed of light ∈air

Refractive index of a medium=
speed of light ∈a medium
 3

e.g The speed of light in water is 2.25 *108 and in air is 3.00*108 .

a)if light travels from air to water. Calculate the refractive index of water.

speed of light ∈air

Refractive index of a medium=
speed of light ∈a medium

8
3.00∗10
n= 8 = 1.33
2.25∗10

REAL AND APPARENT DEPTH

An object O, seen through a transparent medium like water, appears closer than really is. This effect is
caused by refraction at the surface of the water. Rays of light coming from object O bent away from the
normal as they leave the water so that they appear to come from a virtual image I which is above the
object O.

Real Depth
Refractive index of water =
Apparent Depth

CRITICAL ANGLE AND TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION

When a ray of light travels from an optically denser (High refractive index) to a less dense medium (Low
refractive index), most of the light is refracted but there is also a reflected ray. Refraction is also not
possible at every angle of incidence as shown by a series of diagrams below.
 4

(a) Angle of incidence I less than the critical angle

(b) When the angle of refraction r = 90°, the angle of incidence I = the critical angle i c

(c) When the angle of incidence I is greater than the critical angle ic, total internal reflection
occurs.
 5

As the angle of incidence increases, the angle of refraction also increases. Eventually, the angle of
refraction will be equal to 90°. At this point the refracted ray runs along the surface of the glass. The
angle of incidence at which the angle of refraction is equal to 90° is called Critical angle. For angles
greater than the critical angle, the incident ray is reflected inside the glass, and there is no refracted
ray. This is called Total internal reflection. Total internal reflection is when light from a high refractive
index medium is directed towards a low refractive index medium and the angle of incidence I is greater
than the critical angle ic.

OPTICAL FIBRES

An optical fibre, light pipe or light guide consists of a plastic or glass fibre of about the size of human
hair. When light ray is shone into the core of the fibre, it bounces from one edge to the other by total
internal reflection. Light can be transported over large distances through a series of total internal
reflections. The fibre can be easily bent carrying the light with it, and so light can be made to travel
around bends.

USES OF OPTICAL FIBRES

 Doctors use it as an Endoscope to obtain images of internal organs

 Used by Engineers to light up some awkward spot for inspection
 Fibre optics widely used in Telecommunication systems.

MIRAGES
A mirage is an optical illusion that results from total internal reflection of light in air. People during hot
days often have the experience of seeing water in the distance, although it is dry.
 6

Hot air near the ground will have a low refractive index and if the air above this layer is cooler it will
have a high refractive index. This can cause light rays from the sky to be totally internally reflected by
hot air. The reflection of the sky appears as patches of water on the road to the observer.

LENSES

Lenses bend light and form images. There are two main types of lenses namely Convex and Concave.

(a) CONVEX LENS: These are thickest in the middle and thin around the edge. When rays
parallel to the principal axis pass through the convex lens they are bent inwards.

Convex lenses
 7

Action of a convex lens on rays of light

The point F where the rays meet (converge) is called the PRINCIPAL FOCUS F. The distance from the
PRINCIPAL FOCUS to the center of the lens is called the FOCAL LENGTH (f). Rays of light can pass through
the lens in either direction, so there is another principal focus F1 on the opposite side of the lens and the
same distance from the center of the lens. The center of the lens is its OPTICAL CENTER C. The line
through C at right angles to the lens is the PRINCIPAL AXIS.

(b) CONCAVE LENS: These are thin in the middle and thickest round the edge. When rays
parallel to the principal axis pass through a concave lens, they are bent outwards.

Concave lenses

Action of a concave lens on rays of light

 8

The PRINCIPAL FOCUS F is the point from which the rays appear to diverge (spread out).

RAY DIAGRAMS FOR A CONVEX LENS

Standard rays: In ray diagrams, any two of the following rays are needed to fix the image position and
size.

(a) A ray parallel to the principal axis passes through the Principal Focus F after being

refracted by the lens

(b) A ray through the principal focus F1 which is refracted parallel to the principal axis

(c) A ray through the optical center (C) passes straight through the lens
9
 10

MAGNIFICATION OF CONVERGING LENS

Linear magnification of lenses is given by

image height (IY ) ¿ V

m= =distance ¿image object ¿=
object height (OX ) distance ¿ U

 The distances from the lens to real objects, images and focuses are positive values.
 The distances from the lens to virtual images and focuses are negative values

V
Note: When using m= any negative signs should be ignored.
U

THE LENS FORMULA

Experimental results show that the relationship between f, u and v for all thin lenses is given by the
formula;

1 1 1 uv
= + or f=
f u v u+v

Where f is focal length

u is object distance from c

v is image distance from c