Physics light reflection and refraction

Definition: Regular and Diffused reflection
- bouncing of light off the surface.
- angle of incidence is always equal to angle of reflection when light falls on a smooth surface. A regular reflection is produced.
- incident ray, reflected ray and normal lies on the same plane
- Regular reflection
- clear and undistorted
- diffused reflection
- light falls on a rough surface and light is bounced off in different angles
Image formed by a plane mirror
- upright
- same size
- laterally inverted
- object distance is equal to image distance
- virtual
- eg. side mirrors and periscope
Convex mirrors
- curves outwards
- make things look smaller
- eg, blind corner mirror
Concave mirrors
- curve inwards
- make things look bigger
- eg cosmetic mirrors, microscope
Definition: Refraction

bending of light as it passes from one medium to another
Less dense to denser (air to water)

Speed slows on, thus refracted ray bend towards normal
denser to less dense (water to air)

speed of light speeds up thus, refracted ray bends away from normal
snells' law (to find out refractive index or angles)

n_{refractive index of incident medium}sin i _{incident angle} = n_{refractive index of refracted medium} sin r _{refracted angle}
to remove sin

multiply sin^-1 to the other side

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nicolehwj

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Physics light reflection and refraction

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Physics light reflection and refraction

Updated

2010-09-29T17:10:12Z

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