Light Reflection and Refraction

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the topics of light reflection and refraction, including essential laws, characteristics, and applications.

Reflection of Light

The bouncing back of light when it hits a polished surface like a mirror.

Laws of Reflection

1. Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection. 2. The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal all lie in the same plane.

Concave Mirror

A spherical mirror where the reflecting surface is on the inside and converges light rays.

Convex Mirror

A spherical mirror where the reflecting surface is on the outside and diverges light rays.

Principal Focus (F)

The point where parallel rays of light converge after reflecting from a concave mirror or refracting through a convex lens.

Magnification (m)

The ratio of the height of the image to the height of the object.

Refractive Index (R.I.)

The ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in the medium.

Snell's Law

States that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is constant for any two media.

Real Image

An image formed when rays of light actually converge; it is always inverted.

Virtual Image

An image formed where rays of light appear to diverge from; it is always erect.

Focal Length (f)

The distance from the lens or mirror to the focal point.

Sign Convention

A method to assign positive or negative values to measurements based on direction and position relative to the optical center.

Concave Lens

A lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges and diverges light rays.

Convex Lens

A lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges and converges light rays.

Characteristics of Images in Concave Mirror

1) Real images are inverted, highly diminished, or same size depending on the object distance.

Characteristics of Images in Convex Mirror

1) Always virtual, erect, and diminished irrespective of object distance.

Uses of Concave Mirror

Used in applications such as shaving mirrors, car headlights, and dental mirrors.

Uses of Convex Mirror

Used for rear-view mirrors in vehicles and security mirrors in stores.

Absolute Refractive Index

The refractive index of a medium when the first medium is air.

Image Formation by Lenses

Describes how lenses form images depending on the object location relative to the focal length.

Power of a Lens

Ability of a lens to diverge or converge light rays, defined as the reciprocal of its focal length.