Notes PART-4 LIGHT

LIGHT : REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

* REFRACTION:
When light enters from one medium into another obliquely, the direction of
propagation of light in the second medium changes. This phenomenon is known as
refraction of light.

Light bends on undergoing refraction. When light enters from rarer medium into a
denser medium, the speed of light decreases. So, it will bend towards normal.
Similarly, when light gets into rarer medium from a denser medium, the speed of
light increases. So, it will bend away from the normal.
For rarer medium to denser medium, <i > <r
For denser medium to rarer medium, <i < <r

● ANGLE OF INCIDENCE :
The angle between the normal ( at the point of incidence ) and the incident ray is
called angle of incidence (i).
● ANGLE OF REFRACTION :
The angle between the normal ( at the point of incidence ) and thre refracted ray is
called angle of refraction (r).
● LAWS OF REFRACTION :
(i) The incident ray, the normal and the refracted ray at the point of incidence all
lie in the same plane.
(ii) The ratio of sine of the angle of incidence (i) to the sine of the angle of
refraction (r) is a constant, for the light of a given colour and for the given
media. This law is also known as SNELL’S LAW of refraction.
sin i = constant
sin r
● EFFECTS OF REFRACTION OF LIGHT :

(a) The bottom of a tank or pond, filled with water appears to be raised.
(b) A coin placed at the bottom of glass tumbler, appears to be raised.
(c) When a straight rod or a spoon or a pencil, partly immersed in water, viewed
from the sides, appear to be broken/bent.
(d) The part of the rod/pencil/spoon inside the water also appear thick, if viewed
from the sides.
(e) When lemon kept in water in a bowl/glass tumbler/jar viewed from side,
appears larger than their actual size.
(f) An ink mark or a line drawn on a piece of paper appears to be raised when
viewed by keeping a glass slab/glass beaker over it.
● REFRACTION THROUGH RECTANGULAR GLASS SLAB WITH PARALLEL FACES :
The refraction takes place at both air-glass interface and glass-air interface have the
following characteristics:
(i) When a light ray travels from air to glass, the angle of incidence is greater
than angle of refraction(<r < <i). So, ray bends towards the normal.
(ii) When a light ray travels from glass to air, the angle of refraction (also called
angle of emergence in case of glass slab) is greater than the angle of incidence
of glass-air interface (<e > <r) ray of light bends away from the normal.
(iii) If the angle of incidence is zero, i.e., incident ray is normal to the interface (if
it is perpendicular ray), the ray of light continues to travel in the same
direction after refraction.
(iv) The angle of emergence and angle of incidence will always be equal.
(v) Emergent ray is parallel to the incident ray along with the original direction
but it will be laterally displaced.
3
● REFRACTIVE INDEX
The extent of the change in direction that takes place in a given pair of media
may be expressed in terms of the refractive index.
The constant of the ration sin i is called refractive index (n).

sin r
The refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1 is given by the
ratio of the speed of light in medium 1 and the speed of light in medium 2.
i.e.,
n21 = speed of light in medium 1 = v1

speed of light in medium 2 v2
The refractive index of medium 1 with respect to medium 2 is represented as

n12 is,
n12 = speed of light in medium 2 = v2

speed of light in medium 1 v1
● ABSOLUTE REFRACTIVE INDEX:

If medium 1 is vacuum or air, then the refractive index of medium 2 is considered
with respect to vacuum. This is called the absolute refractive index of the medium.
It is simply represented as ‘n2’.
If ‘c’ is the speed of light in air and ‘v’ is the speed of light in the medium then, the
refractive index of the medium ‘nm’ is given by
nm = Speed of light in air = c

Speed of light in the medium v
The absolute refractive index of a medium is simply called its refractive index.

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LIGHT : REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

● EFFECTS OF REFRACTION OF LIGHT :

● REFRACTION THROUGH RECTANGULAR GLASS SLAB WITH PARALLEL FACES :

The constant of the ration sin i is called refractive index (n).

n21 = speed of light in medium 1 = v1

The refractive index of medium 1 with respect to medium 2 is represented as

n12 = speed of light in medium 2 = v2

● ABSOLUTE REFRACTIVE INDEX:

nm = Speed of light in air = c

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