Refraction of Light

Refraction

• Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another
• Occurs because light travels at different speeds in different media
• Snell's Law: n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
  • n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the two media
  • θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction
• Total internal reflection occurs when light passes from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index and the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle

Mirrors

• Types of mirrors:
  • Plane mirrors: flat mirrors that reflect light
  • Spherical mirrors: curved mirrors that can be concave or convex
• Mirror equation: 1/do + 1/di = 1/f
  • do is the distance from the object to the mirror
  • di is the distance from the image to the mirror
  • f is the focal length of the mirror
• Mirror formula: m = -di/do = -f/(do-f)
  • m is the magnification of the mirror

Lenses

• Types of lenses:
  • Convex lenses: thicker in the middle than at the edges, converge light
  • Concave lenses: thinner in the middle than at the edges, diverge light
• Lensmaker's equation: 1/do + 1/di = 1/f
  • do is the distance from the object to the lens
  • di is the distance from the image to the lens
  • f is the focal length of the lens
• Lens formula: m = -di/do = -f/(do-f)
  • m is the magnification of the lens

Total Internal Reflection

• Occurs when light passes from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index and the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle
• Critical angle: the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs
• Calculated using Snell's Law: sin(θc) = n2/n1
  • θc is the critical angle
  • n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of the two media
• Applications: optical fibers, prisms, and lenses

Refraction

• Refraction occurs due to the change in light speed as it passes from one medium to another
• Snell's Law governs refraction, given by n1 sin(θ1) = n2 sin(θ2)
• The law relates refractive indices n1 and n2 to angles of incidence θ1 and refraction θ2

Mirrors

• Plane mirrors are flat and reflect light, while spherical mirrors are curved and can be concave or convex
• Mirror equation: 1/do + 1/di = 1/f, relating object distance do, image distance di, and focal length f
• Mirror formula: m = -di/do = -f/(do-f), giving the magnification m of the mirror

Lenses

• Convex lenses are thicker in the middle and converge light, while concave lenses are thinner in the middle and diverge light
• Lensmaker's equation: 1/do + 1/di = 1/f, relating object distance do, image distance di, and focal length f
• Lens formula: m = -di/do = -f/(do-f), giving the magnification m of the lens

Total Internal Reflection

• Total internal reflection occurs when light passes from a higher refractive index to a lower refractive index and the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle
• Critical angle calculation: sin(θc) = n2/n1, where θc is the critical angle and n1 and n2 are the refractive indices
• Applications of total internal reflection include optical fibers, prisms, and lenses