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Physics Notes Light Reflection

This document provides an overview of light and its reflection, defining light as energy that allows visibility and detailing its speed in a vacuum. It explains the laws of reflection, types of images (real and virtual), and the characteristics of plane mirrors, including image properties and behavior. Key concepts include the nature of reflection, the role of reflectors, and the relationship between object and image distances.

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3 views2 pages

Physics Notes Light Reflection

This document provides an overview of light and its reflection, defining light as energy that allows visibility and detailing its speed in a vacuum. It explains the laws of reflection, types of images (real and virtual), and the characteristics of plane mirrors, including image properties and behavior. Key concepts include the nature of reflection, the role of reflectors, and the relationship between object and image distances.

Uploaded by

shivamsharmacom6
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Physics Notes: Light and Reflection

1. Light

Definition: Light is a form of energy that enables us to see. An object reflects the light rays that fall on
it. These reflected light rays, when received by our eyes, make the object visible to us.

Speed: The speed of light in a vacuum is 3 × 10⁸ m/s.

2. Reflection of Light

Definition: The return of light after colliding with an object in the same medium is called reflection of
light.

Reflectors: Silver metal is one of the best reflectors of light.

Laws of Reflection

There are two laws of reflection of light:

1. The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal at the point of incidence all lie in the same
plane.
2. The angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection (i = r).

Note: A ray of light which is incident normally on a mirror is reflected back along its own path.

3. Image

If light rays coming from a point meet or appear to meet at another point after reflection, then this point
is known as the image of the first point.

There are two types of images:

• Real Image: If the light rays coming from a point actually meet after reflection, then the image
formed is called a real image. It can be obtained on a screen.
• Virtual Image: If the light rays coming from a point do not meet actually but appear to meet at
another point after reflection, then the image formed is called a virtual image. It cannot be
obtained on a screen.

4. Mirror

A mirror is a polished surface which reflects almost all the light incident on it.
Plane Mirror

If the reflecting surface of a mirror is plane, then the mirror is called a plane mirror.

Properties of image formed by a plane mirror:

• It is always virtual and erect.


• The size of the image is equal to the size of the object (AB = A'B').
• Object distance = Image distance (u = v).
• The image is laterally inverted (Left → Right, Right → Left).
• The focal length of a plane mirror is infinite.
• If you rotate the mirror through an angle θ, the image rotates through an angle 2θ.
• If an object moves towards the mirror with speed v, the image appears to move towards itself at
a speed 2v.
• For a full body view, the length of the mirror should be at least ½ × Length of the object.
• Number of images (n): n = 360° / θ
• When two plane mirrors are placed parallel to each other, an infinite number of images are
formed.

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