LIGHT

Light
Light is a form of energy which is responsible for the sense of sight. It enables to see things around us.

Natural sources of light are Sun, fire etc.

Man-made sources of light are tube lights, bulbs etc

Objects that emit light on their own are called luminous objects. Best examples of luminous objects are the sun, stars,
light bulb etc.

Objects that do not reflect light are known as non luminous objects. Examples are moon, human, chair etc.
 RECTILINEAR PROPAGATION OF LIGHT

Generally, light travels in a straight line in a uniform transparent medium or in vacuum. This mode of propagation of light
is called rectilinear propagation.

Pinhole camera
 Shadow
Rectilinear propagation of light explains a lot of phenomena associated with light. One such phenomenon is the formation of
shadows.
 Pinhole Camera

The image in a pinhole camera has the following characteristics:

i. The image in a pinhole camera is inverted (upside down) as compared to the object.

ii. The image in a pinhole camera is real (because it can be formed on a screen).

iii. The image in a pinhole camera is of the same colour as the object.

iv. The image in a pinhole camera can be smaller than the object, equal to the object or bigger than the object (depending
on the distance of object from the pinhole camera).
 REFLECTION OF LIGHT
When light falls on a surface, it bounces off the surface or change their direction upon striking a surface. This is called
reflection.
Reflecting Surfaces :

All types of surfaces reflect light. That is why we can sec them. When light from the sun or any source falls on an object,
we are able to see the object because the light reflected by the object reaches our eyes.

A regular surface reflects light in only one direction. Reflection by a regular surface is referred to as regular reflection.

A rough or wavy surface reflects a parallel beam of light incident in all directions. The small bumps and irregularities on a
rough surface cause each of the light rays to reflect in different directions. This kind of reflection is called irregular or
diffused reflection
Aim: To observe reflection from different types of surfaces

Materials needed:
Glass, metal sheet, metal foil, white paper, and mirror

Method:
1. Take each object and stand in front of a sunlit window.
2. Try to catch the rays of the sun on the object and project it onto a wall.

Observation:
What are the different kinds of images formed? Record your observations for each object.
 PLANE MIRRORS

Any smooth polished surface that can reflect the rays of light and form a clear image is called a mirror. Any highly polished
metal surface, e.g., a steel plate or still water acts like a mirror.

Reflection on still water Reflection on steel Reflection on mirror

 Activity

1. Place the palm of your hand on the flat surface of the mirror and study its reflected
image -
• Is the image bigger, smaller, or of the same size?

• Move your hand slowly away from the mirror and observe the size of the image and
distance of the image from mirror.
• Is the image upside down as compared to you?

2. Now stand in front of the mirror see if you can touch your image formed in the mirror.

3. Now stand in front of a wall such a way that you will get a shadow on the wall. Try to
touch your shadow on the wall.
 Laws of Reflection by Plane Mirror
Light falling on a plane mirror at an angle (Angle of incidence) gets reflected at the same angle (Angle of reflection) in
other direction.
 Image formation by Plane Mirror
When an object is placed in front of the mirror, an image of the object is
formed by the mirror which appears to be behind the mirror. We cannot
touch this image because the image seems to be behind the mirror. Such
an image is called a virtual image. A virtual image cannot be formed on
a screen.

The image formed by a plane mirror is :

i. Erect (upright position)
ii. Of the same size as the object
iii. At the same distance as the object
iv. With right and left sides interchanged (lateral inversion).
Fill In the blanks with the correct words.

1. Rectilinear propagation of light means light travels in a ________________________ (straight/circular) line

2. ______________ (Shadows/Vacuum) form as a result of rectilinear propagation of light.

3. A mirror forms a _______________ (real/virtual) image.

4. A plane mirror forms an ______________ (inverted/upright) image.

Applications of Plane Mirror
1. Predict the height of the image. 1. Find the distance between the chair 1. Find the distance between the eye
2. Find the distance between the lady
and its image . chart and its image .
and her image. 2. Find the distance between the 2. Find the distance between the
image of the man and image of the patient and image of the chart.
chair.
3. Find the distance between the man
and image of the chair.
SPHERICAL (CONVEX AND CONCAVE) MIRRORS
 CONVEX AND CONCAVE MIRRORS
Curved objects have both two curved surfaces as The simplest types of curved mirrors are spherical mirrors.
reflecting: one that bulges out and one that curves
inwards. A spherical mirror is a part of a sphere whose one surface is
reflective.

If the reflecting surface is the outer surface of the sphere, it is

called a convex mirror.

If the reflecting surface is the inner surface of the sphere, it is

called a concave mirror
 Important points with respect to spherical mirror

Pole:
The geometrical centre of the mirror where the principal axis meets the mirror surface is called the 'Pole' (P) of the mirror.

Centre of curvature:
The centre of curvature (C) of the mirror is the centre of the sphere of which the mirror is a part.

Principal axis:
The straight line passing through the pole and the centre of curvature of the mirror is called the principal axis.
 Principal focus:
When rays of light parallel to the principal axis are incident on a spherical mirror all the rays after reflection either actually
meet or converge to a point (in concave mirror) or appear to diverge from a point (in convex mirror) on the principle axis This
point is called the principle focus of the mirror.
Images formed by concave mirror
Use of Concave Mirror
Images formed by convex mirror
Use of Convex Mirror
REFRACTION

LENS
Refraction of light is the change in direction due to
change in the speed of a light ray when it travels
from one medium to another.

Prism and rainbow formation are the examples of

refraction.

Pencil is appeared to be displaced at

the place air and water meet due to
refraction.
 Concave and Convex Lenses
When two transparent and spherical glass surfaces are joined together, then they form a lens.
Important points with respect to lens
Principal focus of a convex lens is a point on the principal axis of the convex lens where all the light rays
parallel to the principal axis converge after passing through the lens. If the light rays are coming from left
hand side they will converge at right hand side of the lens and vice versa.

Real focus
 Principal Focus (F) of concave lens :

Principal Focus of concave lens is the point on the principle axis from which all parallel rays coming from infinity appear to
diverge from after passing through the lens.

Virtual focus
 IMAGE
FORMATION

By CONVEX LENS
Images formed by concave lens
Use of Convex Lens
 Use of Concave Lens

and gives a wide overview of an entire area.

Peephole/Spyhole Spectacles Camera lens Flashlight

Refraction of Light Through a Prism
Newton Disc
Newton's disc is a coloured disc which is painted with the
constituent colours of white light [i.e., violet, indigo, blue,
green, yellow, orange, and red (VIBGYOR)] in equal proportions
so that when it is rotated very fast, the disc appears white.

This is because of a property of our eyes called persistence of

vision. This means that an image formed by the eye remains for
a fraction of a second. When the disc is rotated at a high speed,
the images of the different colours overlap in our eyes and the
brain perceives it as white.
[Link] of the following correctly describes the image produced by a plane mirror?

a) The image is real and upright and diminished.

b) The image will move twice as fast towards the plane of the mirror as the object moves.

c) The image is the same size as the object with no lateral inversion.

d) The image undergoes vertical inversion.

2. A student who is standing 0.5 meters from a plane mirror moves at a velocity of 0.75 meters per second for 3 seconds
away from the mirror. How much further is the student from her image now?

a) 4½ meters b) 3¼ meters c) 2¼ meters d) 5½ meters

3. Which of the following images can be formed by a concave mirror?

l. real, inverted, and enlarged

II. virtual, upright, and enlarged
III. real, upright, and reduced
IV. virtual, inverted, and enlarged

a) I and ll b) l and lll c) l, ll and lV d) ll and lV

4. Which of the following statements most accurately describes rear-view mirrors?

a) Rear-view mirrors are converging such that images appear closer than their actual distance.

b) Rear-view mirrors are diverging such that the image produced is virtual, upright, and reduced.

c) Rear-view mirrors are converging such that the image produced is real, upright, and reduced

d) Rear-view mirrors are diverging such that the object distance is same as the image distance.

5. Which of the following would be an example of using a convex mirror effectively?

a) Satellite dishes for collecting radio waves b)Otoscopic mirror for concentrating light
c) Dental mirror for closer examination d)Security mirror in store to increase range of view

6. A clown is standing in front of a fun mirror. The top half of the mirror is concave, and the bottom half of the mirror
is convex. What happens to his image as the clown moves towards the mirror?
Amy is designing a rear-view mirror for her car that will give her a wider view of the traffic behind. Which of the following
should Amy use as a rear-view mirror?

a) b) c) d)

Mira wants to design a powerful flashlight and needs a mirror that will reflect light from the flashlight bulb in one direction.
Which of the following mirrors should Mira use in the flashlight?
b) d)
a) c)
Ravi wants to design a solar furnace that will focus sunlight at one spot to heat water. Which of the following mirrors should
Ravi use in the solar furnace?

a) b) c) d)

Ahmad is in-charge of installing mirrors in a hospital hallway at all the corners so that nurses get a wide view of incoming
people while moving patients. Which of the following should Ahmad use as a hallway safety mirror?

a) b) c) d)