Chapter 10: Light - Reflection and Refraction

Vocabulary flashcards covering the introductory concepts of light, its propagation, and its dual nature as described in Chapter 10.

Transparent medium

A medium through which light is transmitted, enabling us to see through it.

Ray of light

The straight-line path of light, usually indicated by the fact that a small source of light casts a sharp shadow of an opaque object.

Diffraction

The effect where light has a tendency to bend around a very small opaque object on its path instead of walking in a straight line.

Wave theory of light

A treatment of light used to explain phenomena such as diffraction, where the straight-line treatment of optics using rays fails.

Modern quantum theory of light

A theory that reconciles the particle properties of light with its wave nature, stating that light is neither a 'wave' nor a 'particle'.

Reflection of light

The process where a highly polished surface, such as a mirror, reflects most of the light falling on it.