Optics Test Review

The angle between the incident ray and the normal.

The distance from the mirror to the focal point.

Light emitted from a material being heated.

A line that is perpendicular to the surface.

A light ray that travels towards the mirror.

The angle between the reflected ray and the normal.

A smooth, flat reflecting surface.

A line drawn normal to the centre of a spherical mirror.

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. This occurs because light travels at different speeds in different materials, causing it to change direction.

The primary colors of light are red, blue, and green. When combined in equal amounts, they create white light.

Secondary colors of light are created by mixing two primary colors. The secondary colors are cyan (blue + green), yellow (red + green), and magenta (red + blue).

Complementary colors are pairs of colors that, when mixed, produce white light. The complementary color to red is cyan.

A yellow filter would need to be placed in front of a cyan object to make it appear blue. This is because yellow light contains both green and red light.

The electromagnetic spectrum, ordered from least to most energetic, is: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays.

The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, and the incident ray, reflected ray, and normal all lie in the same plane.

When light travels from a faster medium to a slower medium, it bends towards the normal. Think of it like a car entering a field - it needs to turn in to keep going in the same direction.

A convex mirror always produces a virtual, upright, smaller, and behind-the-mirror image, regardless of the object's position.

When light travels from a slower to a faster medium, it bends away from the normal. Think of it like a car driving from a field onto the road - it needs to turn out to keep going in the same direction.

Total internal reflection occurs when light travels from a denser to a less dense medium (slower to faster) at an angle greater than the critical angle, causing all light to be reflected back into the denser medium. Think of a fish underwater being seen through a ripple.

A concave mirror forms a real, inverted image when the object is placed beyond the focal point. This is because rays converge in front of the mirror.

A concave mirror forms a virtual, upright image when the object is placed between the focal point and the mirror. The rays appear to diverge after reflection, forming an upright image behind the mirror.