optics Flashcards
What is the definition of optics?
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light.
True or False: Light travels faster in water than in air.
False
What is the term for the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another?
Refraction
Fill in the blank: The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of _____ in reflection.
Reflection
What is the formula for calculating the index of refraction?
n = c/v, where n is the index of refraction, c is the speed of light in vacuum, and v is the speed of light in the medium.
What type of lens converges light rays?
Convex lens
What type of lens diverges light rays?
Concave lens
True or False: A virtual image can be projected onto a screen.
False
What is the principal focus of a lens?
The point where parallel rays of light converge or appear to diverge after passing through the lens.
What is the relationship between the focal length and the curvature of a lens?
The more curved the lens, the shorter the focal length.
What is total internal reflection?
The phenomenon where light is completely reflected within a medium when it hits the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle.
Fill in the blank: The color of light is determined by its _____ frequency.
Wavelength
What is the visible spectrum?
The range of wavelengths of light that can be detected by the human eye, approximately 400 to 700 nm.
What is dispersion in optics?
The separation of light into its component colors due to different degrees of refraction.
True or False: A concave mirror can produce both real and virtual images.
True
What is the formula for the lens maker’s equation?
1/f = (n - 1) (1/R1 - 1/R2), where f is the focal length, n is the index of refraction, and R1 and R2 are the radii of curvature.
What happens to light rays that are parallel to the principal axis when they pass through a convex lens?
They converge at the focal point.
What is a real image?
An image formed when light rays converge and can be projected onto a screen.
Fill in the blank: A _____ lens is thicker in the center than at the edges.
Convex
What is the critical angle?
The minimum angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs.
What does the term ‘optical axis’ refer to?
An imaginary line that passes through the center of a lens or mirror and is perpendicular to its surface.
True or False: The speed of light is constant in all media.
False
What is a plane mirror?
A flat mirror that produces a virtual image that is the same size as the object.
What does a spectrometer measure?
The wavelengths and intensity of light.
