Optics: The Laws of Reflection Flashcards
Bouncing back of light in the original medium where it has been traveling.
Reflection
Image formed by mirror may be?
real or virtual
Increases virtual image if it is located behind the mirror.
plane mirror
Rough surface. Will be scattered in different reaction.
Diffuse Reflection
- formed
- behind the mirror
- no actual intersection
virtual image
What are the spherical mirrors?
Concave Mirrors and Convex Mirrors
real images
Concave Mirrors
virtual images
Convex Mirrors
source
point of contact
Mirrors cut out from spherical.
Spherical mirrors
Center of sphere from where mirror was taken.
center of curvature (C)
Center of mirror. Sometimes called “hole of the mirror”. Line that connects distance.
vertex (V)
Reflection from a mirror. Flat.
Regular Reflection
Distance between C (center of curvature) and V (vertex).
Radius of curvature (R)
Straight line joining C (center of curvature).
Principal Axis or Optical Axis
Thickness of mirror.
Aperture
Point where reflected rays meet. Sum to come where diverging mirror.
Principal focus (F)
Distance from vertex to principal focus. 1/2 of radius of curvature.
Focal length (f)
The 1st Law of Reflection.
The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal to the surface of the mirror, all lie in the same plane.
The 2nd Law of Reflection.
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
This defines that upon reflection from a smooth surface, the angle of the reflected ray is equal to the angle of the incident ray, with respect to the normal to the surface that is to a line perpendicular to the surface at the point of contact.
law of reflection
Always in the plane defined by the incident ray and the normal to the surface at the point of contact of the incident ray.
reflected ray
The process through which light rays fall on the surface and get bounced back.
reflection of light
Types of Reflection.
Regular Reflection and Irregular Reflection
The plane mirrors with a smooth surface produce this type of reflection. In this case, the image is clear and very much visible. The images produced by plane mirrors are always virtual, that is they cannot be collected on a screen.
Regular Reflection
In the case of curved mirrors with a smooth surface, we can see the images of reflection either virtually or really. That is, the images produced by curved mirrors can be either real (collected on a screen and seen), or virtual (cannot be collected on a screen, but only seen).
Regular Reflection
Unlike mirrors, most natural surfaces are rough on the scale of the wavelength of light, and as a consequence, parallel incident light rays are reflected in many different directions irregularly, or diffusely. Hence, diffuse reflection helps in seeing the objects and is responsible for the ability to see most illuminated surfaces from any position.
Irregular Reflection
It is virtual, erect, and of the same size of the object. The distance of the object from the _ is the same as the distance of the image from the _. This is laterally inverted.
Plane Mirror
By reflection of light, these give real, inverted images if the object is beyond the focus and a virtual, erect, enlarged image if the object has a distance less than the focal length from the pole of the mirror.
Concave Mirrors
1st Use of Concave Mirrors.
Concave mirrors are used in torches, searchlights, and headlights of vehicles to get powerful parallel beams of light.
2nd Use of Concave Mirrors.
Concave Mirrors are also used as shaving mirrors to see a larger image of the face.
3rd Use of Concave Mirrors.
Dentists use concave mirrors to see bigger images of the teeth of the patient.