Page 1: Advanced Plane Mirror
Mechanics
● Rotation of Mirror: If a plane mirror is rotated by an angle , the reflected ray rotates by
in the same direction, assuming the incident ray is fixed.
● Rotation of Incident Ray: If the incident ray is rotated by , the reflected ray turns by
in the opposite direction.
● Angle of Deviation ( ):
○ For a single reflection: .
○ For two mirrors inclined at angle : Total deviation is independent of the angle of
incidence and is exactly .
● Minimum Mirror Sizes:
○ To see your full height, the mirror must be exactly half your height ( ).
○ To see the full wall behind you when standing exactly in the middle of a room, the
mirror must be one-third the height of the wall ( ).
● Relative Velocity: If an object moves towards a mirror at speed , the image moves
towards the object at a relative speed of .
● Multiple Images: To find the number of images between two inclined mirrors, calculate
○ If is even: (always).
○ If is odd: (if object is perfectly symmetric) or (if
asymmetric).
Page 2: Spherical Mirrors
● Sign Convention & Formulas:
○ Mirror Formula: .
○ Lateral Magnification: .
○ Extended Magnification Forms: .
● Intensity & Obstruction: If a portion of a spherical mirror is covered (for example, if the
lower half is painted black or covered by an opaque material), the complete image is still
formed. However, the intensity (brightness) of the image decreases proportionally
because fewer light rays are converging to form the image.
● Concave Mirrors: Can form real/inverted images or virtual/erect images (if the object is
between the pole and focus). Used in car headlights and solar power plants.
● Convex Mirrors: Always form virtual, erect, and diminished images regardless of object
placement. Used primarily as rear-view mirrors for a wider field of view.
Page 3: Refraction & Total Internal
Reflection (TIR)
● Wave Properties During Refraction: When light passes from one medium to another, its
velocity and wavelength change, but its frequency remains absolutely constant.
○ Velocity is directly proportional to wavelength: .
● Snell's Law Expanded: * .
● Apparent Depth: When viewing an object in a denser medium from a rarer medium, it
appears closer to the surface.
● Total Internal Reflection (TIR):
○ Conditions: Light must be traveling from a denser to a rarer medium, and the
angle of incidence must strictly exceed the critical angle ( ).
○ Critical Angle Formula: .
○ Applications: Optical fibers (light pipes), mirages (hot deserts), looming (arctic
regions), and the sparkling brilliance of diamonds.
Page 4: Lenses & Power
● Basic Lens Formulas:
○ Lens Equation: .
○ Magnification: .
● Sign Conventions (Cartesian):
○ Convex Lens (Converging): Focal length ( ) is positive.
○ Concave Lens (Diverging): Focal length ( ) is negative.
● Power of a Lens:
○ Defined as the reciprocal of focal length: .
○ Unit: Diopter (D), where .
● Lens Combination (Lenses in Contact):
○ Equivalent Power: .
○ Equivalent Focal Length: .
○ Total Magnification: .
Page 5: Prisms & Optical Phenomena
● Prism Geometry:
○ Angle of Prism: .
○ Angle of Deviation: .
● Minimum Deviation ( ): Occurs when the ray passes perfectly symmetrically
through the prism ( and ).
○ The refractive index formula is: .
○ For thin prisms (small angle ): .
● Condition for No Emergence: If the prism angle , light will undergo TIR at the
second surface and will not emerge out of that face.
● Dispersion: Splitting of white light into constituent colors because refractive index
depends on wavelength (red deviates least, violet deviates most).
● Scattering (Rayleigh): Finer particles scatter shorter wavelengths (blue light, making the
sky blue) while larger particles scatter all light equally (making clouds white). Red light
scatters the least, hence its use in danger signals.
Page 6: Human Eye & Optical
Instruments
● Defects & Corrections:
○ Myopia (Short-sightedness): Corrected with a concave lens. If the far point is at
distance , the required focal length is .
○ Hypermetropia (Far-sightedness): Corrected with a convex lens. If the near point
recedes to , the formula is (where and are in meters).
● Microscopes:
○ Simple Microscope: Maximum magnification (at near point ) is .
Relaxed eye magnification (at infinity) is .
○ Compound Microscope (Near point): .
● Telescopes (Astronomical):
○ Magnification (Normal Adjustment / Infinity): .
○ Tube Length (Infinity): .
Page 7: 🔥 NSEJS Advanced Pro-Tips
● Lens Maker's Formula: Essential for determining how the refractive index of the lens
material and surrounding medium affects focal length:
● Newton's Formula: If object and image distances ( and ) are measured directly
from the focus (instead of the pole/optical center), the relationship is:
● Longitudinal Magnification: If an object is laid along the principal axis, its magnification (
) is the square of the transverse magnification:
● Cutting a Lens:
○ Cut vertically (along the Y-axis): You create two plano-convex lenses. The focal
length of each half becomes .
○ Cut horizontally (along the principal axis): The focal length remains , but the
intensity of the image drops by half because the aperture is halved.
● Silvering of Lenses: If one face of a lens is silvered, it acts as a mirror. Light travels
through the lens, hits the mirror, and goes back through the lens. Use powers to find the
equivalent focal length ( ):
● Displacement Method: Used to find the focal length experimentally. If the distance
between an object and a screen is ( ), there are two lens positions
separated by a distance where a sharp image forms. The focal length is: