Lecture questions Flashcards
Specular reflection is…
a type of surface reflectance often described as the mirror-like reflection of light from a surface in a single direction
Diffuse reflection is…
when light is reflected from a surface in many different directions
Reflection
the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated.
Or, when light bounces off of a surface instead of traveling through it
Refraction
the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another caused by its change in speed
or, when a beam of light travels from through one medium and into another
When n1 < n2, what happens to a refracted beam of light? Imagine a ray of light traveling from air into glass.
it is bent towards the normal
v1 > v2
theta1 > theta2
when n1 > n2, what happens to a refracted ray of light? Imagine a ray of light traveling from glass into air.
it is bent away from the normal
v1 < v2
theta1 < theta2
The theory proposing light as a particle is supported by…
The photoelectric effect discovered by hertz (the emission of electrons when electromagnetic radiation hits a material)
A ray of light hits a flat surface at an angle theta and is diffusely reflected. At what angle is it reflected?
unknown (in diffuse reflection light is reflected in all directions)
As light travels from vaccum (n=1) to a medium such as glass (n>1), which of the following will remain the same? (wavelength, wave speed, and frequency)
only frequency will remain the same
Light passes from a material with an index of refraction of 1.1 into one with an index of refraction of 1.5 after being incident at a non-normal angle. Compared to the incident ray, the refracted ray will..
bend towards the normal
When a beam of white light is refracted through a prism, which of the following colors has the greatest angular deviation from the original direction of the beam?
purple
Two people observe an object in front of a flat mirror. The first person is to the left of the object and the second views it from straight on. The second person sees the image of the object directly behind the mirror. Where does the first person see the image of the object?
directly behind the mirror
How can you tell where the image is based on a ray diagram?
The image occurs where all of the rays cross eachother
A real image is always located on the _____ side of the mirror as the object, while a virtual image is always on the ____ side
same, opposite
How can you tell that an image will be inverted based on a ray diagram?
The order of the rays will be reversed when they are reflected off the mirror