CCTS9042 The World of Waves
Lecture Note 3
Light and optics
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Objectives
- Review the concept of reflection and introduce plane, concave and convex mirrors
- Review the concept of refraction and discuss different type of lens
- Discuss different natural phenomena such as rainbow and mirage
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Reflection of light
Light will bounce (or be ‘reflected’) on hitting a mirror. Since our eyes always
perceive light as traveling in straight lines, a ‘false impression’ on the location of
the object, or an ‘image’, is created. Similarly, light will be bent (or be ‘refracted’)
as it travels from one medium to another (e.g. from air to water or vice versa).
Images will again be created.
https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/9960 https://pixcom/featured/2-refraction-in-
05/view/laser-pointer-beam-reflection a-glass-of-water-science-photo-
libraryels..html 3
Plane mirror
The most common example is the plane mirror. The image of a plane mirror is
(a) always virtual,
(b) located behind the mirror at a distance equal to that between the object and
the mirror,
(c) upright,
(d) of the same size as the object, and
(e) laterally inverted.
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How does plane mirror form an image?
(a) Real (or Virtual) image can (cannot) be
captured on a film/piece of white paper.
(b) In experiments, the distance / location of
the image is usually determined by the method
of ‘no-parallax’.
(c) The image of any optical system can in
generally be upright or inverted.
(d) If the size of the image is larger than that of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HK_AMS_Am
bulance2.JPG
the object, then there is a ‘magnification’ (or a
magnified image). This is useful practically for
obvious reasons (e.g. the magnifying glass).
(e) In practical situations, the laterally inverted
image must be taken into account, e.g. look at
the way ‘AMBULANCE’ is written in emergency https://www.ontheroadtrends.com/get-out-
vehicles. of-the-way-of-a-vehicle-with-
priority/?lang=en
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Convex and concave mirrors
F: Focal point where
reflected light ray
converges
https://www.sciencedirect.com/t
opics/engineering/convex-mirror
https://www.simply.science/imag
es/content/physics/waves_optics
/reflection/Concept_map/Conve
xconcave_mirrors.html
Concave mirror (left) and convex mirror (right) 6
Concave mirrors
- Concave mirrors have a ‘real’ focus.
- Images formed from concave mirrors can be real
and inverted, virtual and upright, depending on
the distance between the object and the mirror.
- The most common usage of concave mirrors is
this ‘focusing’ function. Many mirrors used in
astronomy collect and focus light beams from
distance objects (stars) to a localized area for
further manipulation. Cassegrain reflector
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassegrain_reflector
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Convex mirrors
(Convex mirrors only have a ‘virtual’ focus.)
The image in a convex mirror is
(a) always virtual,
(b) located behind the mirror, between the
mirror itself and virtual focus,
(c) upright,
(d) smaller than the object,
(e) laterally inverted.
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Advantage of convex mirrors
Important advantage: Wider range of view
The main advantage of a convex mirror, in
comparison with a plane one, is the wider
range of vision afforded. As examples, they are
widely used
(a) for drivers to look at the road conditions
behind the car, and
(b) to avoid collisions of cars and passengers at
a ninety degree turn.
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Refraction of light
- The bending of light as wave fronts go into a different medium where light will
propagate at a different velocity.
-Index of refraction (or refractive index): The ratio of
(speed of light in vacuum (or in practice, in air)/(speed of light in the medium)
- This is always bigger than unity, as light travels fastest in vacuum, at a speed of
300,000,000 meters per second.
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Apparent depth
- Because of refraction, the real depth of a pool of water is different from the apparent
depth. Using trigonometry, we can show that the refractive index is given by the ratio
of (Real Depth)/(Apparent Depth)
for viewing very close to the normal direction. This provides a means to measure the
refractive index.
An object in the water appears to be located at a
different place?
As light bends away from the normal (of the
interface) as it travels from a denser (water) to a
less dense medium (air), the object appears to be
located at a different place.
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Total internal reflection
- If general, light tends to bend towards the normal (or ‘a direction perpendicular to the
wave front’) when it moves from a less dense to a denser medium, e.g. air to water.
- The converse is true when light moves from water to air. Consequently, there is a
‘critical’ angle such that NO light can enter the less dense medium beyond this
critical angle.
- Light is then said to suffer from
‘total internal reflection:
(a) Incidence angle smaller than critical:
Mostly transmitted, a small amount reflected.
(b) Incidence angle greater than critical:
Light cannot enter the less dense medium
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A light waterfall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9O5xY3Z1WE
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``Fisheye” view
- Light can enter the water surface nearly horizontally (grazing incidence) and still reaches the eye of the fish.
Fisheye lens
https://products.entaniya.co.jp/en/example-of-ultra-wide-
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angle-fisheye-lens-application-at-an-intersection/
Lens
- A lens is curved piece of glass designed to refract light, producing an image, e.g.
eyeglasses, cameras, projectors and microscopes.
- Converging (thicker in the middle) lens: Real focus, and the distance between the
focus and the lens is termed ‘focal length’;
- Diverging (thinner in the middle) lens: Virtual focus.
Real and virtual foci (plural of ‘focus’):
(a) Convex lens – Converging light rays, real focus.
(b) Concave lens – Diverging light rays, virtual focus.
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Real vs virtual focus
(1) If a light ray goes through the ‘center’ of the lens, it will travel without change in
direction (by symmetry or the analogy with a ‘rectangular glass slab’).
(2) If a light ray is moving in a horizontal direction, it will go through the ‘focus’ (real
or virtual) after refraction by the lens.
(3) Conversely, a light ray going through the focus (real or virtual) will travel horizontally
after refraction by the lens.
A real focus of a convex lens A virtual focus of a concave lens 16
Convex lens
The image formed from a convex lens can be virtual and magnified, or real and
inverted, depending again on the distance between the object and the lens.
Common applications include
(a) Capturing the image of a far away object (object at ‘infinity’).
(b) Serving as a magnifying glass (object between the lens and the focus).
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Concave lens
- The image formed from a concave lens is always virtual, diminished, and located
between the virtual focus and the lens.
- The most common application is to correct short-sightedness.
- Basically the images of all objects, from the near field to infinity, are formed in the
relatively short distance between the virtual focus and the lens, and thus the
person can see all things clearly.
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The eye
The main features of the eye consist of
(a) the cornea,
(b) the iris and the pupil,
(c) the lens,
(d) the ciliary muscle,
(e) the retina and the optic nerves.
To correct defects of vision: Place a proper lens
to focus the image.
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Proper lenses to correct defects in vision
(a) Normal eye
(b) ‘Far-sighted’:
‘Lens’ of the eye does not have
enough converging power.
(c) ‘Near-sighted’
‘Lens’ of the eye have too much
converging power.
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Concave meniscus lens to correct for ‘near-sighted’ eye
- The eye can only see (or properly resolve) things between the virtual focus and
eye itself.
- The lens (the eyeglass) achieves this objective.
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Dispersion
- As light rays of different frequencies usually travel with different speeds in a
medium other than air/vacuum, white light will disperse into components of
various colors on entering say a glass prism or water droplets.
- White light consists of beams of various colors, from red (longer wavelength and
smaller frequency) to blue (shorter wavelength and higher frequency).
The difference in speed results in
different refraction angles (Refractive
index = ratio of speeds)
(Extracted from
http://electron9.phys.utk.edu/phys136d/modules/m10/geometrical.htm) 22
Colors of diamonds
The surface of a polished diamond consists of various planar geometric figures with
straight segment as sides. Multiple refractions lead to dispersion of white light into
component colors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond#/media/File
:National_Museum_of_Natural_History_Gold_Color
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ed_Diamonds.JPG
Rainbows
Rainbow results from reflections and refractions of light rays of different colors
within a water droplet.
https://scijinks.gov/rainbow/ https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/macro-
photo-water-drop-rainbow-color-455230528
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Telescope and microscope
A telescope is a sophisticated and ingenious arrangement of lenses and mirrors to
focus light from distant objects to a localized region for further examinations.
Image formed by this telescope Microscope schematic
is upside down.
Magnification = Focal length of the objective (fo)/Focal length of
eyepiece lens (fe)
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Mirage
A mirage occurs when light beams ‘bend’ due to a change in refractive index of air
parcels with varying properties, e.g. temperature and density. Eventually the light
beam turns around completely due to total internal reflection. As the human eye
always perceives light as moving in a straight line, a virtual image is formed, similar
in principle to the case of a plane mirror.
The changing temperature profile of the air results in a waveguide of air with
varying refractive index.
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illusion of water on the road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=691SwCFzejM
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