3di Light (1) (1)

Edexcel IGCSE Physics Your notes
Re ection & Refraction

Contents
Light & Sound Waves
Re ection & Refraction
Core Practical: Investigating Refraction
Snell's Law
Core Practical: Investigating Snell's law
Total Internal Re ection
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Light & Sound Waves

Your notes
Light
Visible light is a part of the Electromagnetic spectrum which means it is a transverse wave
This is explained in Transverse & longitudinal waves
Representing a transverse wave
Light waves are transverse: the particles vibrate in a perpendicular direction to the energy transfer
Light can undergo:
Reflection
Refraction
Sound
Sound waves are longitudinal waves
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This is explained in Transverse & longitudinal waves

Longitudinal waves are usually drawn as several lines to show that the wave is moving parallel to the
direction of energy transfer Your notes
Drawing the lines closer together represents the compressions
Drawing the lines further apart represents the rarefactions
Representing a longitudinal wave
Longitudinal waves are represented as sets of lines with rarefactions and compressions
Sound can also undergo:
Reflection
Refraction
The reflection of a sound wave is called an echo
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Reflection & Refraction

Your notes
Reflection & refraction
All waves, whether transverse or longitudinal, can be reflected and refracted
Reflection occurs when:
A wave hits a boundary between two media and does not pass through, but instead stays in the original
medium
In optics the word medium is used to describe a material that transmits light
Media means more than one medium
An example of reflection
An identical image of the tree is seen in the water due to reflection

Refraction occurs when:
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A wave passes a boundary between two different transparent media and undergoes a change in
direction
Your notes
An example of refraction
Waves can change direction when moving between materials with different densities
The law of reflection

The law of reflection states that:
Angle of incidence (i) = Angle of reflection (r)
Angles are measured between the wave direction (ray) and a line at 90 degrees to the boundary called
the normal
The angle of the wave approaching the boundary is called the angle of incidence (i)
The angle of the wave leaving the boundary is called the angle of reflection (r)
An example of reflection in a plane mirror
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Your notes
Ray diagram of the reflection of a wave in a mirror
Ray diagrams
Reflection ray diagrams
When drawing a ray diagram an arrow is used to show the direction the wave is travelling
An incident ray has an arrow pointing towards the boundary
A reflected ray has an arrow pointing away from the boundary
A diagram showing the law of reflection
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Your notes
The angle of incidence and angle of reflection are equal in the law of reflection
Refraction ray diagrams

The direction of the incident and refracted rays are also taken from the normal line
The change in direction of the refracted ray depends on the difference in density between the two
media:
From less dense to more dense (e.g air to glass), light bends towards the normal
From more dense to less dense (e.g. glass to air), light bends away from the normal
When passing along the normal (perpendicular) the light does not bend at all
A diagram of a ray refracted into and out of a glass block
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Your notes
How to construct a ray diagram showing the refraction of light as it passes through a rectangular block
The change in direction occurs due to the change in speed when travelling in different substances
When light passes into a denser substance the rays will slow down, hence they bend towards the
normal
The only properties that change during refraction are speed and wavelength – the frequency of waves
does not change
Different frequencies account for different colours of light (red has a low frequency, whilst blue
has a high frequency)
When light refracts, it does not change colour (think of a pencil in a glass of water), therefore, the
frequency does not change
Examiner Tips and Tricks

When drawing ray diagrams for reflection:
1. A simple straight line with an arrow is enough to represent the wave
You do not need to draw the wavefronts unless asked to do so!
2. Take care to draw the angle correctly
If it is slightly out it won’t be a problem, but if there is an obvious difference between the
angle of incidence and the angle of reflection then you will probably lose a mark!
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Practice drawing refraction diagrams as much as you can! It's very important to remember which
way the light bends when it crosses a boundary:
Your notes
As the light enters the block it bends towards the normal line
Remember: Enters Towards
When it leaves the block it bends away from the normal line
Remember: Leaves Away
Don't forget to draw the arrows for the direction of the light rays and make sure they are drawn with a
ruler and a sharp pointed pencil
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Core Practical: Investigating Refraction

Your notes
Core practical 4: investigating refraction
Aim of the experiment
To investigate the refraction of light using transparent rectangular blocks, semi-circular blocks and
triangular prisms
To review your understanding of refraction use the revision note Reflection & refraction
Variables
Independent variable = shape of the block
Dependent variable = direction of refraction
Control variables:
Width of the light beam
Same frequency / wavelength of the light
Equipment list
Equipment Purpose
Ray Box To provide a narrow beam of light that can be

easily refracted
Protractor To measure the angles of incidence and

refraction
Sheet of Paper To mark the lines indicating the incident and

refracted rays
Pencil To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto

the paper
Ruler To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto

the paper
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Perspex blocks (rectangular block, semi-circular To refract the light beam

block & prism)
Your notes
Resolution of measuring equipment:

Protractor = 1°
Ruler = 1 mm
Method
Refraction experiment set up
Apparatus to investigate refraction

1. Place the glass block on a sheet of paper, and carefully draw around the rectangular perspex block
using a pencil
2. Switch on the ray box and direct a beam of light at the side face of the block
3. Mark on the paper:
A point on the ray close to the ray box
The point where the ray enters the block
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The point where the ray exits the block

A point on the exit light ray which is a distance of about 5 cm away from the block Your notes
4. Draw a dashed line normal (at right angles) to the outline of the block where the points are
5. Remove the block and join the points marked with three straight lines
6. Replace the block within its outline and repeat the above process for a ray striking the block at a
different angle
7. Repeat the procedure for each shape of perspex block (prism and semi-circular)
Results
Consider the light paths through the different-shaped blocks
Refraction experiment results with different media
Refraction of light through different shapes of perspex blocks

The final diagram for each shape will include multiple light ray paths for the different angles of
incidences (i) at which the light strikes the blocks
This will help demonstrate how the angle of refraction (r) changes with the angle of incidence
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Label these paths clearly with (1) (2) (3) or A, B, C to make these clearer
Use the laws of refraction to analyse these results
Your notes
You can use the revision note Reflection & refraction to do this
Evaluating the experiment
Systematic Errors:
An error could occur if the 90° lines are drawn incorrectly
Use a set square to draw perpendicular lines
Random Errors:
The points for the incoming and reflected beam may be inaccurately marked
Use a sharpened pencil and mark in the middle of the beam
The protractor resolution may make it difficult to read the angles accurately
Use a protractor with a higher resolution
Safety considerations
The ray box light could cause burns if touched
Run burns under cold running water for at least five minutes
Looking directly into the light may damage the eyes
Avoid looking directly at the light
Stand behind the ray box during the experiment
Keep all liquids away from the electrical equipment and paper

You may be asked questions on how to perform this refraction experiment in your exam. You may
also be required to complete a table of results or deduce the path of a refracted ray.
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Snell's Law
Your notes
Snell's law
The angles of incidence and refraction are related to the refractive index of a medium by an equation
known as snell's Law:
sin i
n=
sin r
Where:
n = the refractive index of the material
i = angle of incidence of the light (°)
r = angle of refraction of the light (°)
'Sin' is the trigonometric function 'sine' which is on a scientific calculator
You can revise the concept of refraction using the revision notes Reflection & refraction
A formula triangle can help rearrange the snell's law equation
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Your notes
Snell's law formula triangle

For more information on how to use a formula triangle refer to the revision note on Speed
Refractive index
The refractive index is a number which is related to the speed of light in the material (which is always
less than the speed of light in a vacuum):
speed of light in a vacuum

refractive index, n =
speed of light in material
The refractive index is a number that is always larger than 1 and is different for different materials
Objects which are more optically dense have a higher refractive index, eg. n is about 2.4 for
diamond
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Objects which are less optically dense have a lower refractive index, eg. n is about 1.5 for glass
Since the refractive index is a ratio, it has no units
Your notes
Worked Example
A ray of light enters a glass block of refractive index 1.53 making an angle of 15° with the normal
before entering the block.
Calculate the angle it makes with the normal after it enters the glass block.
Answer:
Step 1: List the known quantities
Refractive index of glass, n = 1.53
Angle of incidence, i = 15°
Step 2: Write the equation for snell's law
sin i
n=
sin r
Step 3: Rearrange the equation and calculate sin (r)
sin i
sin r =
n
sin( 15)
sin r =
1 . 53
sin r = 0 . 1692
Step 4: Find the angle of refraction (r) by using the inverse sin function
r = sin – 1 (0 . 1692) = 9 . 7 = 10°

sin i i
Important: in snell's law is not the same as . Incorrectly cancelling the sin terms is a
sin r r
common mistake!
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When calculating the value of i or r start by calculating the value of sin i or sin r. You can then use the
inverse sin function (sin–1 on most calculators by pressing 'shift' then 'sine') to find the angle.
Your notes
One way to remember which way around i and r are in the fraction is remembering that 'i' comes
before 'r' in the alphabet, and therefore is on the top of the fraction (whilst r is on the bottom).
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Core Practical: Investigating Snell's law

Your notes
Core practical 5: investigating snell's law
Aims of the experiment
To investigate the refractive index of glass, using a glass block
Variables
Independent variable = angle of incidence, i
Dependent variable = angle of refraction , r
Control variables:
Use of the same perspex block
Width of the light beam
Same frequency / wavelength of the light
Equipment
Equipment list
Equipment Purpose
Ray Box To provide a narrow beam of light that can be easily refracted
Protractor To measure the angles of incidence and refraction
Sheet of Paper To mark the lines indicating the incident and refracted rays
Pencil To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto the paper
Ruler To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto the paper
Perspex rectangle To refract the light beam
Resolution of measuring equipment:
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Protractor = 1°
Ruler = 1 mm Your notes
Method
Diagram of equipment set up
Apparatus set-up to investigate Snell's Law

1. Place the glass block on a sheet of paper, and carefully draw around the block using a pencil
2. Draw a dashed line normal (at right angles) to the outline of the block
3. Use a protractor to measure the angles of incidence to be studied and mark these lines on the paper
4. Switch on the ray box and direct a beam of light at the side face of the block at the first angle to be
investigated
5. Mark on the paper:
A point on the ray close to the ray box
The point where the ray enters the block
The point where the ray exits the block
A point on the exit light ray which is a distance of about 5 cm away from the block
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6. Remove the block and join the points marked with three straight lines
7. Replace the block within its outline and repeat the above process for a rays striking the block at the Your notes
next angle
An example results table
Angle of incidence, i / ° Angle of refraction, r / °
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Analysis of results
If the angles have been measured correctly, the paper should end up looking like this:
A diagram showing how to measure the angles of incidence and

refraction
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Your notes
Snell's Law relates the angles of incidence and refraction

This is covered in the Snell's law revision note
Plot a graph of sin i on the y-axis against sin r on the x-axis
The refractive index is equal to the gradient of the graph
A graph of the results of snell's law experiment
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Evaluating the experiment

Systematic Errors: Your notes
An error could occur if the 90° lines are drawn incorrectly
Use a set square to draw perpendicular lines
Random Errors:
The points for the incoming and reflected beam may be inaccurately marked
Use a sharpened pencil and mark in the middle of the beam
The protractor resolution may make it difficult to read the angles accurately
Use a protractor with a higher resolution
Safety considerations
The ray box light could cause burns if touched
Run burns under cold running water for at least five minute
Looking directly into the light may damage the eyes
Avoid looking directly at the light
Stand behind the ray box during the experiment
Keep all liquids away from the electrical equipment and paper
Page 22 of 32
Total Internal Reflection

Your notes
Total internal reflection
Sometimes, when light is moving from a denser medium towards a less dense one, instead of being
refracted, all of the light is reflected
This phenomenon is called total internal reflection
Total internal reflection (TIR) occurs when:
The angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle and the incident material is denser than the
second material
Therefore, the two conditions for total internal reflection are:
The angle of incidence > the critical angle
The incident material is denser than the second material
The angles of refraction, critical and total internal reflection
The critical angle is different for different materials. Refraction occurs when the angle of incidence is
less than the critical angle, and total internal reflection occurs when it is greater
Total internal reflection is utilised in
optical fibres e.g. endoscopes
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prisms e.g. periscopes

Optical fibres Your notes
Total internal reflection is used to reflect light along optical fibres, meaning they can be used for
communications
endoscopes
decorative lamps
Light travelling down an optical fibre is totally internally reflected each time it hits the edge of the fibre
Light travelling in an optical fibre
Optical fibres utilise total internal reflection for communications

Structure of an endoscope
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Your notes
Page 25 of 32
Your notes
Endoscopes utilise total internal reflection to see inside a patient's body
Prisms
Prisms are used in a variety of optical instruments, including
periscopes
binoculars
telescopes
cameras
Prisms are also used in safety reflectors for bicycles and cars, as well as posts marking the edges of
roads
A periscope is a device consisting of two right-angled prisms that can be used to see over tall objects
Reflection of light in a periscope
When light travels through a periscope, it totally internally reflects through prisms causing the light to
reflect at right angles
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The light totally internally reflects in both prisms
Reflection of light by right-angled prisms Your notes
Single and double reflection through right-angled prisms

If asked to name the phenomena make sure you give the whole name – total internal reflection.
Remember: total internal reflection occurs when going from a denser material to a less dense
material and ALL of the light is reflected.
If asked to give an example of a use of total internal reflection, first state the name of the object that
causes the reflection (e.g. a right-angled prism) and then name the device in which it is used (e.g. a
periscope)
Critical angle
As the angle of incidence is increased, the angle of refraction also increases until it gets closer to 90°
When the angle of refraction is exactly 90° the light is refracted along the boundary
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At this point, the angle of incidence is known as the critical angle c

Changing the angle of incidence to obtain the critical angle
Your notes
As the angle of incidence increases it will eventually surplus the critical angle and lead to total internal
reflection of the light
When the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle, the refracted ray is now reflected
This is total internal reflection
Worked Example
A glass cube is held in contact with a liquid and a light ray is directed at a vertical face of the cube.
The angle of incidence at the vertical face is 39° and the angle of refraction is 25° as shown in the
diagram.
The light ray is totally internally reflected for the first time at X.
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Your notes
Complete the diagram to show the path of the ray beyond X to the air and calculate the critical angle
for the glass-liquid boundary.
Answer:
Step 1: Draw the reflected angle at the glass-liquid boundary
When a light ray is reflected, the angle of incidence = angle of reflection
Therefore, the angle of incidence (or reflection) is 90° – 25° = 65°
Step 2: Draw the refracted angle at the glass-air boundary
At the glass-air boundary, the light ray refracts away from the normal
Due to the reflection, the light rays are symmetrical to the other side
Step 3: Calculate the critical angle
The question states the ray is “totally internally reflected for the first time” meaning that this is
the lowest angle at which TIR occurs
Therefore, 65° is the critical angle
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Your notes

If you are asked to explain what is meant by the critical angle in an exam, you can be sure to gain full
marks by drawing and labelling the same diagram above (showing the three semi-circular blocks).
Calculating critical angle

The critical angle, c, of a material is related to its refractive index, n
The relationship between the two quantities is given by the equation:
1
sin c =
n
This can also be rearranged to calculate the refractive index, n:
1
n=
sin c
This equation shows that:
The larger the refractive index of a material, the smaller the critical angle
Light rays inside a material with a high refractive index are more likely to be totally internally reflected
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Worked Example
Your notes
Opals and diamonds are transparent stones used in jewellery. Jewellers shape the stones so that
light is reflected inside. Compare the critical angles of opal and diamond and explain which stone
would appear to sparkle more.
The refractive index of opal is about 1.5
The refractive index of diamond is about 2.4
Answer:
Step 1: List the known quantities
Refractive index of opal, no = 1.5
Refractive index of diamond, nd = 2.4
Step 2: Write out the equation relating critical angle and refractive index
1
sin c =
n
Step 3: Calculate the critical angle of opal (co)
1
sin( c o ) = = 0 . 6667
1.5
c o = sin – 1 (0 . 6667) = 41. 8 = 42°
Step 4: Calculate the critical angle of diamond (cd)
1
sin( c d ) = = 0 . 4167
2.4
c d = sin – 1 (0 . 4167) = 24. 6 = 25°
Step 5: Compare the two values and write a conclusion
Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence of light is larger than the critical
angle (i>c)
In opal, total internal reflection will occur for angles of incidence between 42° and 90°
The critical angle of diamond is lower than the critical angle of opal (co>cd)
This means light rays will be totally internally reflected in diamond over a larger range of angles
(25° to 90°)
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Therefore, more total internal reflection will occur in diamond hence it will appear to sparkle
more than the opal
Your notes

When calculating the value of the critical angle using the above equation:
First use the refractive index, n, to find sin(c)
Then use the inverse sin function (sin–1) to find the value of c
Page 32 of 32

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Edexcel IGCSE Physics Your notes

Re ection & Refraction

Light & Sound Waves

Representing a transverse wave

This is explained in Transverse & longitudinal waves

Representing a longitudinal wave

Reflection & Refraction

An identical image of the tree is seen in the water due to reflection

The law of reflection

An example of reflection in a plane mirror

Ray diagram of the reflection of a wave in a mirror

A diagram showing the law of reflection

Refraction ray diagrams

A diagram of a ray refracted into and out of a glass block

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Core Practical: Investigating Refraction

Ray Box To provide a narrow beam of light that can be

Protractor To measure the angles of incidence and

Sheet of Paper To mark the lines indicating the incident and

Pencil To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto

Ruler To draw the incident and refracted ray lines onto

Perspex blocks (rectangular block, semi-circular To refract the light beam

Resolution of measuring equipment:

Apparatus to investigate refraction

The point where the ray exits the block

Refraction experiment results with different media

Refraction of light through different shapes of perspex blocks

Examiner Tips and Tricks

A formula triangle can help rearrange the snell's law equation

Snell's law formula triangle

speed of light in a vacuum

r = sin – 1 (0 . 1692) = 9 . 7 = 10°

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Core Practical: Investigating Snell's law

Protractor To measure the angles of incidence and refraction

Perspex rectangle To refract the light beam

Resolution of measuring equipment:

Apparatus set-up to investigate Snell's Law

A diagram showing how to measure the angles of incidence and

Snell's Law relates the angles of incidence and refraction

A graph of the results of snell's law experiment

Evaluating the experiment

Total Internal Reflection

The angles of refraction, critical and total internal reflection

prisms e.g. periscopes

Light travelling in an optical fibre

Optical fibres utilise total internal reflection for communications

Endoscopes utilise total internal reflection to see inside a patient's body

Reflection of light in a periscope

The light totally internally reflects in both prisms

Reflection of light by right-angled prisms Your notes

Single and double reflection through right-angled prisms

Examiner Tips and Tricks

At this point, the angle of incidence is known as the critical angle c

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Calculating critical angle

Examiner Tips and Tricks

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