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Chapter: Refraction Reference No:
0423XLRRNo
REFRACTION
Refraction of Light: The bending of light at the interface of two
different mediums is called Refraction of light.
• If the velocity of light in medium is more, then medium is
called optical rarer.
Example, air or vacuum is more optical rarer.
• If the velocity of light in medium is less, then medium is
called optical denser.
Example, glass is denser than air.
Refractive Index: It represents the amount or extent of bending of
light when it passes from one medium to another.
There are two types of refractive index
• Relative refractive index and
• Absolute refractive index.
Refractive index of medium with respect to other medium is called
Relative Refractive Index.
Refractive index of medium 1 with respect to medium 2
= Speedoflightinmedium2(V2)/ Speedoflightinmedium1(V1)
Refractive index of medium with respect to air or vacuum is called
Absolute Refractive Index.
Absolute refractive index of medium = Speed of light in air(c)/Speed
of light in medium (V m)
Law of Refraction: According to this law
• “The incident ray, refracted ray and normal at the point of
incidence all lie in the same plane.”
• “The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of
the angle of refraction is constant.”
sin i / sin r = constant (n)
Lens: The transparent refracting medium bounded by two surfaces in
which at least one surface is curved is called lens.
Lenses are mainly two types
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• Convex lens and
• Concave lens.
Special Rays for Image Formation by Lens:
• An incident ray, parallel to the principal axis, after
refraction passes through (or appears to come from),
second focus of the lens.
• An incident ray, passing through the optical center of the
lens, goes un deviated from the lens.
• An incident ray, passing through the (first) principal focus
of the lens, or directed toward it, becomes parallel to the
principal axis after refraction through lens.
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Sign conventions for lenses remain the same as mirrors.
Lens Formula and Magnification
This formula gives the relationship between object distance (u),
image-distance (v) and the focal length (f).
The lens formula is expressed as 1/v – 1/u =1/ f
Magnification
The magnification produced by a lens, similar to that for spherical
mirrors, is defined as the ratio of the height of the image and the
height of the object.
m= Height of the image / height of the object
m= hi / ho = v/u
Power of a Lens
The ability of a lens to converge or diverge light rays depends on its
focal length.
The degree of convergence or divergence of light rays achieved by a
lens is expressed in terms of its power. The power of a lens is defined
as the reciprocal of its focal length. It is represented by the letter P.
The power P of a lens of focal length f is given by P = 1/ f
The SI unit of power of a lens is ‘dioptre’. It is denoted by the letter D.
If f is expressed in metres, then, power is expressed in dioptres. Thus,
1 dioptre is the power of a lens whose focal length is 1 metre. The
power of a convex lens is positive and that of a concave lens is
negative.
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