Unit – 9

Ray Model of Light

Light
1. Light is a form of energy.
2. The largest source of light energy is the Sun.
3. In fact, solar energy sustains life on Earth.
4. Light does not need a medium for travelling; it can travel through vacuum in space and
reach us on Earth.
5. Light travels in a straight line in the same medium. We refer to the path along which light
travels as a light ray.
6. A beam of light consists of a bundle of light rays as shown below.

7. Transparent objects allow light to pass through them. Some examples are glass and diamond.
8. Translucent objects allow some light to pass through.
9. Opaque objects do not allow light to pass through them. One example is wood.
10. If an opaque object is placed in the path of light from a point source, a uniformly dark shadow
(umbra) is created.
11. If an extended or larger light source is used the shadow is not uniformly dark. On the screen
where the light is only partly blocked out, a lighter shadow (penumbra) is created.
12. During a solar eclipse both umbra and penumbra are created. The umbra is the result of a
total eclipse, whilst the penumbra is the result of a partial eclipse.
13. Formation of shadows and eclipses are due to light travelling in straight lines.
Characteristics of the image formed by a plane mirror:

1. It is virtual. It is upright and of the same size as the object.

2. The distance of the object from the plane mirror is the same as the distance of the image from
the plane mirror.

3. It is laterally inverted. (inverted from left to right.

Characteristics of Concave Mirrors

1. Converging Mirror

2. A concave mirror can produce real and virtual images.

3. When an object is placed close to the concave mirror, the image formed is magnified, upright
and virtual.

4. When an object is placed far away from the concave mirror, the image formed is smaller and
inverted. The image is real as it can be formed on the screen.

Uses of concave mirrors

1. Concave mirrors are used in telescopes.

2. They are used as dentists’ mirrors to magnify the image of a patient’s teeth to facilitate the
examination.
3. They are used as cosmetic mirrors to have an enlarged view of the face to apply make-up or to
shave.

Characteristics of Convex Mirrors

1. Diverging Mirror
2. The convex mirror covers a wider view of the objects in front of it.
3. The image formed is distorted and smaller than the real object.
4. The image is formed behind the mirror.
5. The image is upright and virtual.

Uses of convex mirrors.

1. The most common use of a convex mirror is to provide an observer with a bigger field of view.
2. This property makes them useful when a larger perspective is required, such as in parking lots,
intersections, or surveillance systems.
3. A small convex mirror mounted as wing mirrors or side mirrors at the side of a car helps the
driver to know the traffic behind it well.
Refraction of light

The bending of light when it travels from one transparent medium to another of a different
density is called refraction.
Refraction is the result of a change in the speed of light whenever light travels from one
transparent medium into another of a different density.
The speed of light is slower in various materials than it is in a vacuum or outer space.
Light travelling from a less dense medium like air, into a denser medium like water, will
have its path bent towards the normal.
This is due to the slowing down of the speed of light.

Light travelling from a denser medium like glass, into a less dense medium like air, will
have its path bent away from the normal as its speed increases.
 If light enters a transparent medium perpendicularly which means
The angle of incidence is 0, there will be no refraction of light. This is a special case. There
is no change of speed even though there is a change of medium.

White Light
 Light from the Sun may appear white, but white light actually consists of seven colours
combined together.
 The seven colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet ([Link]).

Dispersion of white light

1. Dispersion of white light is the separation of white light into its individual colours. The band of
colours that white light separates into is known as a spectrum.
2. The dispersion of white light is done using a glass prism.
3. When light passes into a glass prism at an angle, the speed of light through the glass prism
decreases and light is bent (or refracted) towards the normal.
4. White light is made of seven colours with different wavelengths; hence each colour is slowed
down differently by glass.
5. Red has the longest wavelength and travels the fastest through glass, hence red light is
refracted the least.
6. Violet has the shortest wavelength and travels most slowly, hence violet is refracted the most.
7. Two glass prisms can be used together to recombine the different colours of white light.
8. The light emerging from the second glass prism is white light.

Color mixing
1. The primary colours of light are red, green and blue lights. They cannot be produced by mixing
other coloured light.
2. When the three primary colours of light are mixed, white light is produced.
Red + Green + Blue ---------- White.
3. The secondary colours of light are obtained by mixing any two of the three primary colours of
light. They are Cyan, Yellow and Magenta.

4. Red + Green ------ Yellow

Red + Blue ------ Magenta
Blue + Green ------ Cyan
Seeing Colours

1. Objects appear as different colours because of the light they reflect or emit.

2. For a luminous object that gives off its own light, we see the colour of the light it emits into our
eyes.
Eg: The Sun emits white light, we see it as white. If an object emits red light, we see it as red.

3. We see non-luminous objects when they reflect light into our eyes.
Eg: A green leaf absorbs all the other six colours of white light and reflects the colour green, to
our eyes.

4. If we place the same leaf in red light, it will appear black as it does not reflect red light.

5. An objects appears white when it reflects all the colours of light falling on it.
An object appears black because the entire spectrum is absorbed by it and it does not reflect
any colour.

6. In conclusion, the colour any object appears depends on:

(a) The colour of light shining on the object.
(b) The colour of light which the object reflects or absorbs.
 Questions and answers.
1. How do convex mirrors work?
Convex mirrors are diverging mirrors that bulge outward. They reflect light away from the
mirror, causing the image formed to be smaller than the object. As the object gets closer to the
mirror, the image appears larger.

2. How do concave mirrors work?

Concave mirrors have a curved inward reflective surface. They reflect light inward towards a
focal point. The image formed by a concave mirror varies based on the distance between the
object and the mirror.

3. Give examples of concave and convex mirrors.

Examples of concave mirrors include torch lights and automobile headlights. Convex mirrors
can be seen in magnifying glasses and telescopes.

4. What is the difference between a concave mirror and a convex mirror?

Concave mirrors have a reflective inner surface, while convex mirrors have a reflective outer
surface.

5. Can concave mirrors form virtual images?

Yes, concave mirrors can form virtual images when the object is within the focal point. These
images are always upright and magnified.

6. What is the advantage of using a convex mirror?

The main advantage of convex mirrors is their wide angle of view, allowing for a larger area to
be observed or monitored.

7. Where does real image form plane, concave, convex mirror and how?
Plane mirrors and convex mirrors only produce virtual images. Concave mirrors can produce
both real and virtual images depending on the distance from the mirror to the object and the
curvature of the mirror, while convex mirrors produce only virtual images.
8. What is dispersion of light?
When white light is passed through a glass prism it splits into its spectrum of colours (in
order violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red) and this process of white light
splitting into its constituent colours is termed as dispersion.

9. What is prism?

A prism is defined as a transparent solid body that has three rectangular lateral surfaces and
two triangular faces that are inclined at an angle.

10. Define refraction.

The change in direction of a wave, while passing from one medium to another is known as
refraction.

11. What is the difference between reflection and refraction of a light?

Refraction of light is the change in the direction of light as it passes from one medium to
another. And when the light bounces off a medium, it is known as reflection. But, if the
medium has a smooth surface, then the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

12. Give a daily life example of refraction of light.

Twinkling of stars and formation of rainbow.