Light and Optics Exam Review

These flashcards cover essential concepts in light and optics, including properties of light, laws of reflection and refraction, and phenomena such as polarization and dispersion.

What is the speed of light in a vacuum?

3.00 × 10^8 m/s

What is the purpose of a ray diagram in optics?

A ray diagram indicates the direction of wave travel.

What is the difference between incident ray and reflected ray?

An incident ray originates in a medium and strikes a boundary, while a reflected ray is the ray that has bounced back from the boundary.

What does the Law of Reflection state?

The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

What is refraction in the context of light?

Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in speed at the boundary between two media.

What is the absolute index of refraction?

It is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a material medium.

What is Snell's Law?

The mathematical relationship governing the refraction of light as it passes from one medium to another is ni sin(θi) = nr sin(θr).

What is the critical angle?

The angle of incidence for which the angle of refraction is 90 degrees.

What is dispersion in optics?

Dispersion is the process of separating light into its component colors.

What are polychromatic and monochromatic light?

Polychromatic light consists of more than one wavelength, while monochromatic light consists of a single wavelength.

What does polarization of light achieve?

Polarization separates components of a light beam so that all vibrations occur in the same plane.

How do different colors of light behave in a prism?

Different colors of light are refracted by the prism in different amounts, leading to dispersion.