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S2 Physics > Light > Flashcards

Light Flashcards

1
Q

What are the laws for the reflection of light?

A

Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection.

Incident ray, reflected ray and normal all lie in same plane.(can all be drawn on flat sheet of paper).

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2
Q

Where is the angle of incidence found?

A

Angle between incident ray and normal.

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3
Q

Where is the angle of reflection found?

A

Between reflected ray and normal.

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4
Q

What are the properties of the image formed by a plane mirror?

A
  1. Image is same size.
  2. Image is upright.
  3. Image is virtual.
  4. Image is laterally inverted.
  5. Image is same distance behind mirror as object is in front.
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5
Q

What is a real image?

A

Image that can be projected onto a screen.

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6
Q

What is a virtual image?

A

Image that cannot be projected onto a screen.

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7
Q

What happens when light passes from one medium to another?

A

The light refracts (it bends).

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8
Q

What is refraction?

A

Change in direction a light ray undergoes when it enters a medium with a different refraction index.

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9
Q

What happens to the speed of light as it travels in materials of different refraction indexes?

A

It changes speed.

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10
Q

What speed does light travel in a vacuum?

A

299,792,458ms.

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11
Q

What are the requirements for refraction to take place?

A
  1. Ray passes from one medium into another with different refraction index.
  2. At an angle of incidence >0 degrees.
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12
Q

What are everyday examples of refraction?

A

Glasses, fibre optic cables, telescopes, magnifying glasses, binoculars and endoscopes.

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13
Q

What is another thing that happens to light as it passes from one medium to another, such as air to glass?

A

Part of the light is reflected back into first medium (4%) and rest passes into second medium with direction changed (96%).

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14
Q

What changes in the light when it enters glass from air?

A

Speed decreases
Lambda decreases
Frequency remains constant

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15
Q

What changes in the light when it exits glass into air?

A

Speed increases
Lambda increases
Frequency remains constant

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16
Q

What direction does light deviate when passing from air to glass?

A

Towards the normal.

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17
Q

What direction does light deviate by when passing from glass to air?

A

Away from the normal.

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18
Q

What is a situation when light passes from air to glass but does not deviate?

A

Angle of incidence is 0.

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19
Q

What does the amount of refraction depend on?

A

Change of speed of light.

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20
Q

What does white light consist of?

A

Continuous range of different colours.

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21
Q

How do we know that white light contains a continuous range of different colours?

A

Rainbow.

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22
Q

What happens when white light passes through droplets of water?

A

Different colours of light are refracted by different amounts.

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23
Q

Why do the colours separate when light passes through droplets of water or a glass prism?

A

Each colour travels at different speeds.

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24
Q

What happens to red light as it is refracted from white light?

A

Slows down least and so is refracted least.

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25
Q

What happens to violet light as it refracts from white light?

A

Slows down most and so is refracted most.

26
Q

What are the colours of light contained in white light?

A

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet

27
Q

What similarity do all colours of light share?

A

All travel at same speed in air.

28
Q

What happens to all colours of light when leaving a prism?

A

All refract away from normal as they speed up.

29
Q

What happens when the angle of incidence is smaller than the critical angle in internal reflection?

A

Refraction takes place.

Small amount of light, 4%, is internally reflected.

30
Q

What happens when the angle of incidence is equal to the critical angle in internal reflection?

A

Angle of refraction is 90 degrees.

Partially reflected ray.

31
Q

What happens when the angel of incidence is greater than the critical angle in internal reflection?

A

Total internal reflection takes place.

32
Q

What is the definition of the critical angle?

A

Critical angle is the (limiting) angle of incidence which gives an angle of reflection of 90 degrees.

33
Q

What are the 2 conditions necessary for total internal reflection to take place?

A
  1. Angle of incidence > critical angle.
  2. Ray must be incident from a higher refractive index medium to a lower refractive index medium.
34
Q

What two requirements does an optical fibre satisfy?

A
  1. Core has very high refractive index while cladding has lower refractive index.
  2. As long as i > C, TIR takes place.
35
Q

What does an optical fibre allow you to do?

A

Transfer of large quantities of data along cable at very large speeds over long distances.

36
Q

What is an endoscope?

A

Instrument that allows images from inside a persons body to be seen by a physician.

37
Q

What do endoscopes use fibre optic cables for?

A
  1. To deliver non-coherent light into body.
  2. To take coherent light from body back to eyepiece to form a clear image.
38
Q

What is the terminology required for CCEA exams when describing how optic fibres going from the body/ object to eye or computer need to be coherent?

A

Same Spatial Relationship.

39
Q

What are some non medical applications of optic fibre?

A
  1. Bomb disposal.
  2. FBI - surveillance.
  3. Boroscope - engineers use to inspect aircraft engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, Diesel engines etc.
40
Q

What is a lens?

A

A carefully ground or moulded piece of transparent material which refracts light rays in such a way to form an image.

41
Q

What are the 2 forms of lens?

A

Converging - thickest at centre

Diverging - thinnest at centre

42
Q

What are the characteristics of converging lenses?

A

Thicker across middle.

Thinner at its ends.

Serves to converge light.

43
Q

What are the characteristics of diverging lenses?

A

Thinner across middle.

Thicker at its ends.

Serves as to diverge light.

44
Q

What can lenses be thought of as?

A

Series of tiny refracting lenses.

45
Q

How do a series of tiny refracting lenses form an image?

A

Each refracts light to produce own image.

When prisms act together, they produce bright enough image focused at a point.

46
Q

What other names can a converging lens be referred to as?

A

Biconvex

Convex

47
Q

What other names can a diverging lens be referred to as?

A

Biconcave

Concave

48
Q

What happens to the rays on a converging lens?

A

All rays travel parallel to principle axis, converge, and pass through focal point of lens.

49
Q

What happens to the rays on a diverging lens?

A

All rays travelling parallel to principle axis, appear to diverge from focal point in diverging lens.

50
Q

What is the focal length of a converging lens?

A

Distance from optical centre of lens to focal point.

51
Q

What is the distant object method?

A

Method used to get estimate of focal length of converging lens.

52
Q

What is the method of the distant object method?

A

When light travels sufficiently far away from object, rays of light assumed to be parallel. Distance can be taken approx 10m or more.

When parallel rays of light pass through converging lens they all pass through focal point.

If screen is placed at focal point a sharp image will be detected on screen. Distance from screen to centre of lens (optical centre) is approx focal length of lens.

53
Q

When can the focal length be found?

A

When image is sharpest.

54
Q

What are the properties of the image formed for a diverging lens?

A

Diminished (smaller)
Upright/erect
Virtual

55
Q

What are the properties of the image formed for a converging lens when the object is beyond 2F?

A

Inverted
Diminished (smaller)
Real

56
Q

When is an example of a converging lens where the object is beyond 2F?

A

Eyes or camera

57
Q

What are the properties of the image formed for a converging lens when the object is at 2F?

A

Inverted
Same size
Real

58
Q

What are the properties of the image formed for a converging lens when the object is between 2F and F?

A

Enlarged/magnified
Inverted (upside down)
Real

59
Q

What is an example for a converging lens where the object is between 2F and F?

A

A projector

60
Q

What happens in a converging lens when the object is at F?

A

Image is formed at infinity (never formed).

61
Q

What are the properties of the image formed for a converging lens when the object is between F and the optical centre?

A

Upright/erect
Virtual
Magnified/enlarged

62
Q

What is an example of a converging lens where the object is between F and the optical centre?

A

Magnifying glass.

S2 Physics (2 decks)

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