Light Reflection and Refraction Flashcards
Speed of Light
3 x 10 (to the eighth power) m/sec in a vacuum
What are the three colors of light?
Red, Green, Blue
Light is _____________; Pigment is ______________.
Additive; Subtractive
Absorbing all colors but the color you want to see
Subtractive (Pigments)
Reflecting the colors you want to see
Additive (Light)
Fermat’s Principle of Least Time
Of all possible paths light can take to get from point A to point B, light will travel the path that requires the least time.
T/F: Fermat’s Principle applies to both Reflection and Refraction.
True
When light enters a new medium at an angle and it bends it is called_____________
Refraction
When light enters a new medium, the entire wave does not ____________________________.
change at the same time.
Light slows down as it enters more ___________ media and speeds up in a less____________ media.
Dense; Dense
In refraction, the degree to which light bends depends on the __________________________ between the two ______________.
Difference; Media
Snell’s Law shows that the ratio of the _____________, _________________ and ________________ are equal when light refracts from one media into another.
Angles of Refraction;
Refraction Indices
Speed of waves
Snell’s Law explains how light will bend _____________ the normal if it enters a more dense medium, and light will bend _____________ the normal if it enters a less dense medium.
Towards the normal in a more dense medium
Away from the normal in a less dense medium
Light waves enter a medium and different parts refract at different angles
Dispersion
The angle in a more dense medium that yields an angle of refraction of 90 degrees
Critical Angle; the maximum incident angle that gives refraction
In reflection, the angle of _____________ is equal to the angle of ______________.
Incidence; Reflection
A medium in which you can see yourself
Specular
An image that does not really exist
Virtual Image
Reflected rays that we “imagine” to be where they came from
Virtual Image
Point where the light seems to come from
Focal Point
A mirror that is flat and smooth, an almost perfect reflector of light
Plane Mirror
Two types of reflection
Specular
Diffuse
An enlarged image in a narrow field of view would appear in what type of mirror?
Concave (magnifying mirror)
A reduced image in a wider field of view would appear in what type of mirror?
Convex (surveillance/safety mirror)
Law of Refraction
Light bends towards the normal when entering a medium in which light travels more slowly (denser medium). Light bends away from the normal when entering a medium in which light travels faster (less dense medium.)
