Edexcel GCSE Physics Your notes
Optics
Contents
Reflection & Refraction
Total Internal Reflection
Light & Surfaces
Lenses
Real & Virtual Images
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Reflection & Refraction
Your notes
Reflection
Reflection occurs when:
A wave hits a boundary between two media and does not pass through, but instead
stays in the original medium
Light, sound and water waves can all be reflected
The reflection of light waves is seen in a mirror
Angles are measured between the wave (ray) direction and a line at 90 degrees to the
boundary (the normal)
The angle of the wave approaching the boundary is called the angle of incidence (i)
The angle of the wave leaving the boundary is called the angle of reflection (r)
The law of reflection states that these angles are the same:
Angle of incidence (i) = Angle of reflection (r)
When drawing a ray diagram, an arrow is used to show the direction the wave is travelling
An incident ray has an arrow pointing towards the boundary
A reflected ray has an arrow pointing away from the boundary
The angles of incidence and reflection are usually labelled i and r respectively
Reflection of a wave at a boundary
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
When drawing ray diagrams, a simple line with an arrow is enough to represent the Your notes
wave. Make sure these are drawn with a ruler or a straight edge to be as neat as
possible, and don't forgot to label the direction of the arrow!
Refraction Ray Diagrams
Refraction occurs when light passes a boundary between two different transparent
media
At the boundary, the rays of light undergo a change in direction because the
light changes speed
The direction is taken as the angle from a hypothetical line called the normal
This line is perpendicular to the surface of the boundaries and is usually represented
by a straight dashed or dotted line
The change in direction depends on which media the light rays pass between:
From less dense to more dense (e.g air to glass), light bends towards the normal
From more dense to less dense (e.g. glass to air), light bends away from the normal
When passing along the normal (perpendicular) the light does not bend at all
How to construct a ray diagram showing the refraction of light as it passes through a
rectangular block
The change in direction occurs due to the change in speed when travelling in different
substances
When light passes into a denser substance the rays will slow down, hence they
bend towards the normal
The only properties that change during refraction are speed and wavelength – the
frequency of waves does not change
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Different frequencies account for different colours of light (red has a low frequency,
whilst blue has a high frequency)
Your notes
When light refracts, it does not change colour (think of a pencil in a glass of water),
therefore, the frequency does not change
Worked Example
The diagram below shows two parallel rays of light entering and passing through
prism A and prism C.
Draw a third parallel ray entering and passing through prism B.
Answer:
Step 1: Draw a parallel ray on the left
Step 2: Draw the refracted ray at the first surface
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Your notes
As the ray enters the block it bends towards the normal since it is going into a
denser material
In this case, the angle of refraction is smaller than the angle of incidence
Step 3: Draw the refracted ray at the second surface
As the ray leaves the block it bends away from the normal
In this case, the angle of refraction is larger than the angle of incidence
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Practice drawing refraction diagrams as much as you can! It's very important to
remember which way the light bends when it crosses a boundary:As the light enters
the block it bends towards the normal line
Remember: Enters Towards
When it leaves the block it bends away from the normal line
Remember: Leaves Away
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Total Internal Reflection
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Total Internal Reflection
As the angle of incidence is increased, the angle of refraction also increases until it gets
closer to 90°
When the angle of refraction is exactly 90° the light is refracted along the boundary
At this point, the angle of incidence is known as the critical angle θc
Total internal reflection (TIR) occurs when:
The angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle and the incident material is
denser than the second material
Therefore, the two conditions for total internal reflection are:
The angle of incidence > the critical angle (i > θc)
The incident material is denser than the second material
Critical angle and total internal reflection
Worked Example
A glass cube is held in contact with a liquid and a light ray is directed at a vertical face
of the cube. The angle of incidence at the vertical face is 39° and the angle of
refraction is 25° as shown in the diagram. The light ray is totally internally reflected for
the first time at X.
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Your notes
Complete the diagram to show the path of the ray beyond X to the air and calculate
the critical angle for the glass-liquid boundary.
Answer:
Step 1: Draw the reflected angle at the glass-liquid boundary
When a light ray is reflected, the angle of incidence = angle of reflection (i = r)
Therefore, the angle of incidence (or reflection) is 90° – 25° = 65°
Step 2: Draw the refracted angle at the glass-air boundary
At the glass-air boundary, the light ray refracts away from the normal
Due to the reflection, the light rays are symmetrical to the other side
Step 3: Calculate the critical angle
The question states the ray is “totally internally reflected for the first time”
meaning that this is the lowest angle at which TIR occurs
Therefore, 65° is the critical angle
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Light & Surfaces
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Specular & Diffuse Reflection
Specular Reflection
Specular reflection is defined as:
Reflection from a smooth surface in a single direction
When light reflects off a smooth surface, such as a mirror, specular reflection occurs
This is what gives a mirror its shiny appearance
This is why a reflection can be seen clearly in a mirror
In this case, the angle of reflection r is equal to the angle of incidence i
When reflecting off a mirror, the specular reflection occurs. The angle of incidence is
equal to the angle of reflection
Diffuse Reflection
Diffuse reflection is defined as:
Reflection from a rough surface causes scattering
When light reflects off a rough surface, which applies to the majority of surfaces, diffuse
reflection occurs
This is what gives objects a dull or matt appearance
This is why a reflection cannot be seen clearly from a table surface, for example
Even though a table's surface may look smooth from afar, it is actually made up of
many tiny ridges which the light rays are scattered off
When light scatters, it leaves the surface in all directions
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Your notes
When light is reflected from the majority of surfaces it is scattered – a process known as
diffuse reflection
Colour
Differential Absorption of Colour
Absorption occurs when:
Energy is transferred from the wave into the particles of a substance
Waves can be partially or completely absorbed
Sound waves are absorbed by brick or concrete in houses
Light will be absorbed if the frequency of light matches the energy levels of the
electrons
The light will be absorbed, and then reemitted over time as heat
If an object appears red, this means:
Only red light has been reflected
All the other frequencies of visible light have been absorbed
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Your notes
The object is seen as red since the red light is reflected whilst the other colours are
absorbed
Colour Filters
Colour filters work by absorbing certain wavelengths and transmitting other
wavelengths
These certain wavelengths correspond to certain colours
When white light passes through a coloured filter, some colours are absorbed whilst
others are able to pass straight through
For example, when white light passes through a red filter:
Red light is transmitted
All the other colours are absorbed
The colour that is transmitted is the same colour as the filter
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Your notes
A red filter transmits only red light and absorbs all other colours of light
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember that the smaller the wavelength, the greater the refraction
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Lenses
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Converging & Diverging Lenses
A lens is a piece of equipment that forms an image by refracting light
There are two types of lens:
Converging
Diverging
Converging Lenses
In a converging lens, parallel rays of light are brought to a focus
This point is called the principal focus
This lens is sometimes referred to as a convex lens
The distance from the lens to the principal focus is called the focal length
This depends on how curved the lens is
The more curved the lens, the shorter the focal length
The focal length is the distance from the lens to the principal focus
Diverging Lenses
In a diverging lens, parallel rays of light are made to diverge (spread out) from a point
This lens is sometimes referred to as a concave lens
The principal focus is now the point from which the rays appear to diverge from
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Your notes
Parallel rays from a diverging lens appear to come from the principal focus
Lens Power
The power of a lens is related to:
The focal length of the lens
The shape of the lens
The power of a lens is a measure of how strongly it focuses the light
The more curved the lens, the shorter the focal length
The shorter the focal length, the greater the power of the lens
The power of a lens depends on its focal length
Power is defined by the equation:
1
power =
focal length
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Power is measured in dioptres
Sometimes the focal length is negative Your notes
A negative focal length is often used for a diverging lens
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Real & Virtual Images
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Real & Virtual Images
Images produced by lenses can be one of two types:
A real image
A virtual image
Real Images
A real image is defined as:
An image that is formed when the light rays from an object converge and meet each
other and can be projected onto a screen
A real image is one produced by the convergence of light towards a focus
Real images are always inverted
Real images can be projected onto pieces of paper or screens
An example of a real image is the image formed on a cinema screen
A real image can be projected onto a screen
Real images are where two solid lines cross in ray diagrams
Virtual Images
A virtual image is defined as:
An image that is formed when the light rays from an object do not meet but appear to
meet behind the lens and cannot be projected onto a screen
A virtual image is formed by the divergence of light away from a point
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Virtual images are always upright
Virtual images cannot be projected onto a piece of paper or a screen Your notes
An example of a virtual image is a person's reflection in a mirror
A reflection in a mirror is an example of a virtual image
Virtual images are where two dashed lines, or one dashed and one solid line crosses in
ray diagrams
Drawing Ray Diagrams
Lenses can be used to form images of objects placed in front of them
The location (and nature) of the image can be found by drawing a ray diagram
When describing an image, consider if it is:
Real or virtual
Magnified (larger) or diminished (smaller)
Upright or inverted
Converging Lens Ray Diagrams – Real Images
If an object is placed further from the lens than the focal length f then a real image will be
formed, and the converging lens ray diagram will be drawn in the following way:
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Your notes
Diagram showing the formation of a real image by a lens
1. Start by drawing a ray going from the top of the object through the centre of the lens.
This ray will continue to travel in a straight line
2. Next draw a ray going from the top of the object, travelling parallel to the axis to the lens.
When this ray emerges from the lens it will travel directly through the principal focus f
3. The image is the line drawn from the axis to the point where the above two rays meet
In the above diagram, the image is:
Real: the light rays meet each other after refraction
Magnified: the image is larger than the object
Inverted: the image is formed on the opposite side of the principal axis
Converging Lens Ray Diagrams – Virtual Images
A converging lens will produce a real image of an object which is placed at a distance
greater than the focal length from the lens
If the object is placed closer to the lens than the focal length f then a virtual image will be
formed and the converging lens ray diagram will be drawn in the following way:
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Your notes
A virtual image formed when the object is placed closer than the focal length
1. Start by drawing a ray going from the top of the object through the centre of the lens.
This ray will continue to travel in a straight line
2. Draw a dashed line continuing this ray upwards
3. Next draw a ray going from the top of the object, travelling parallel to the axis to the lens.
When this ray emerges from the lens it will travel directly through the principal focus f
4. Also, draw a dashed line continuing this ray upwards
5. The image is the line drawn from the axis to the point where the two dashed lines meet
In this case, the image is:
Virtual: the light rays appear to meet when produced backwards
Magnified: the image is larger than the object
Upright: the image is formed on the same side of the principal axis
Diverging Lens Ray Diagrams
Diverging (concave) lenses can also be used to form images, although the images are
always virtual in this case
If an object is placed further from the lens than the focal length f then a diverging lens
ray diagram will be drawn in the following way:
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Your notes
Diverging lenses only produce virtual images
1. Start by drawing a ray going from the top of the object through the centre of the lens.
This ray will continue to travel in a straight line
2. Next draw a ray going from the top of the object, travelling parallel to the axis to the lens.
When this ray emerges from the lens it will travel directly upwards away from the axis
3. Draw a dashed line continuing this ray downwards to the focal point, f
4. The image is the line drawn from the axis to the point where the above two rays meet
In this case, the image is:
Virtual: the light rays appear to meet when produced backwards
Diminished: the image is smaller than the object
Upright: the image is formed on the same side of the principal axis
Comparing Converging & Diverging Lenses
The image produced by a converging lens can be either real or virtual
This means the image can be inverted (real) or upright (virtual)
The image produced by a diverging lens is always virtual
This means the image will always be upright
Worked Example
An object is placed outside the focal point of a concave lens.
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Your notes
Complete the ray diagram by drawing where the image of this object will be seen.
Answer:
Step 1: Draw a line from the top of the object through the middle of the lens
The top of the image lies somewhere along this line
Step 2: Draw a line from the focal point through the top of the lens
The dashed line shows the continuation of the upwards arrow
The top of the image is where the two lines cross
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
The best way to remember these ray diagrams is to draw them and see the results for Your notes
yourself. Remember to always use a ruler or a straight edge in the exam when drawing
the rays to gain full marks and produce the most accurate drawings
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