1. What is Light?
• Light is a form of electromagnetic energy that enables us to see objects.
• It consists of tiny packets of energy called photons.
• It does not need a medium to propagate (unlike sound).
• The light waves travel with a very high speed of 3 × 108 m/s in vacuum.
• The wavelength of visible light waves lies between 4 × 10–7 m to 8 × 10–7 m.
2. Nature of Light
Light exhibits a dual nature:
1. Wave Nature: Light consists of electromagnetic waves which do not require a material medium (like
solid, liquid or gas) for their propagation.
2. Particle Nature: Light is composed of particles which travel in a straight line at very high speed. The
elementary particle that defines light is the ‘photon’.
- Light behaves like a wave while traveling and like a particle when interacting with matter.
3. Reflection of light
- When a beam of light falls on any surface, a part of that is sent back into the same medium from which
it is coming. This phenomenon is known at the reflection of light.
4. Reflection of light is of two types:
1) Regular reflection
• When the reflecting surface is smooth and well-polished, e.g. mirror, the parallel rays falling on it are
reflected parallel to one another.
• The laws of reflection are valid only in regular reflection. It is the regular reflection that makes the
object visible.
2) Diffuse Reflection
• When the reflecting surface is rough, the parallel rays falling on it are reflected in different
directions.
• Laws of reflection are not valid in irregular reflection. In this case only the surface is visible
and not the image.
5. Laws of Reflection
1. The path of the incoming ray, the path of the reflected ray, and the perpendicular line (normal) to
the surface at the point of incidence are all situated in the same plane.
2. The angle at which the incoming light ray impacts a surface (the angle of incidence) is equal to the
angle at which it bounces off (the angle of reflection)
∠i=∠r
6. Types of Images in Reflection
1. Real Image: 2. Virtual Image:
o Formed when reflected rays actually meet. o Formed when reflected rays appear to
meet but don’t actually converge.
o Can be obtained on a screen.
o Cannot be obtained on a screen.
o Always inverted.
o Always erect.
o Found in concave mirrors (except when the
object is between F and P). o Formed in plane mirrors and convex
mirrors.
o Example: Image on a cinema screen is a
real image. o Example: Image in a plane mirror is virtual.
7. Plane Mirrors & Image Formation
Properties of Images in Plane Mirrors
Virtual & Erect (Cannot be captured on a screen)
Same size as the object
Laterally inverted (Left appears right and vice versa)
Object Distance = Image Distance
8. Spherical Mirrors
A spherical mirror is that mirror whose reflecting surface is the part of a hollow sphere of glass.
The spherical mirrors are of two types: Concave mirrors, and Convex mirrors.
A Concave mirror is that spherical mirror in which A Convex mirror is that spherical mirror in which
the reflection of light takes place at the concave the reflection of light takes place at the convex
surface (or bent-in surface). surface (or bulging-out surface).
Some basic Terms Related to Spherical Mirrors
• Pole (P): The center of the mirror’s surface.
• Center of Curvature (C): The center of the sphere from which the mirror is cut.
• Radius of Curvature (R): The distance between C and P.
• Principal Axis: The imaginary line passing through C and P.
• Principal Focus (F): The point where parallel rays meet (concave) or appear to diverge from (convex).
• Focal Length (f): The distance between P and F.
• The focal length is always half of the radius of curvature:
f (Focal Length) = R (Radius of Curvature) / 2
9. Rules for obtaining images
When an object is placed in front of a concave mirror, an image is formed. The image is formed at that point where
at least two reflected rays intersect (or appear to intersect).
Rule 1. A ray of light which is parallel to the principal axis, passes through its focus after reflection from the
mirror.
Rule 2. A ray of light passing through the center of curvature of is reflected back along the same path (because it
strikes the mirror normally or perpendicularly).
Rule 3. A ray of light passing through the focus becomes parallel to the principal axis after reflection.
Rule 4. A ray of light which is incident at the pole is reflected back making the same angle with the principal axis.
