SRI VIJAY VIDYASHRAM SR. SEC.

SCHOOL
Class: X SUB: PHYSICS CHAPTER: LIGHT DATE:

OPTICS:- A branch of physics which deals with the nature of light,it's

sources, properties ,effects and vision is called optics
LIGHT:-"Light is a form of energy, which enables us to see objects."
LIGHT IS A FORM OF ENERGY GIVES US "SENSATION OF VISION "
● Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that allows humans to see and makes objects
visible. It has many properties, including: Speed
Properties of light:-
■ Light is an electromagnetic wave(Non mechanical wave), it does not require any medium.
■ Light is a transverse wave(A transverse wave is a wave where the movement of the
particles of the medium is perpendicular (at a right angle) to the direction of propagation
of the wave.
■ The Visible light(Visible spectrum )has a very small wavelength i.e lies in the range of 400-
700 nm.
NOTE:
(i)The visible spectrum of light is the range of wavelengths that humans can see. It's a part of
the electromagnetic spectrum.
(ii)The visible spectrum is made up of colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and
violet(VIBGYOR).
(iii)Each color has its own wavelength and frequency range.
Q)Which colour has the longest wavelength?
Red light has the longest wavelength.
Q)Which colour has the shortest wavelength?
Violet light has the shortest wavelength.
Q)What are the colours present in the visible spectrum?
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, Indigo and violet.
Q)What is the visible spectrum?
The visible light spectrum is the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye
can view.
■ Light tends to travel in a straight line.
■ Light has dual nature(it can behave as both a wave and a particle)
Particle nature:
● Light can be thought of as made up of particles called photons.
● This explains why light travels in straight lines.
● The photoelectric effect is an example of light behaving as a particle, where light can eject
electrons from a material.
Wave nature:
● Light can also behave as a wave, which explains how light bends around an object.
Diffraction and interference are examples of light behaving as a wave.
● For example, when light passes through narrow slits, it creates a pattern of dark and light
fringes.
■ Light cast shadows.
■ Speed of light in vacuum C = 300000km/s= m/s.
NOTE:-
DO YOU KNOW :-
1)Light from sun takes about 8 minutes 20 second to trvetravel 149 million km(149000000
km )to reach earth.
2)If you drive to the sun at 100kmph,it would take you 171.2 years to reach sun.
3)Light can go around the earth 7 times in 1 second
■ When light falls on a surface : Reflection and Refraction occurs.

SOURCES OF LIGHT:Light sources are things that produce light.

Luminous Object :Luminous sources of light emit their own light
examples :The sun ,Stars ,Burning candles ,Fireflies ,Electric bulbs ,Torches.
Non-luminous Object :These objects do not emit light on their own, but instead reflect light
from luminous sources.
examples :The moon ,Earth ,Blackboard ,Planets ,Trees
Medium : Any material or substance
To describe how light passes through different materials.
Material are mainly classified into 3 types
1)Transparent 2)Translucent 3)Opaque
Transparent :Allows light to pass through easily without scattering or absorption.
Examples include:Glass,Air,Water,Clear plastic
Translucent :Allows some light to pass through, but also scatters and absorbs some of it
Examples include:Frosted glass ,Cloudy water ,Tracing paper ,Waxed paper ,Thin pieces of
fabric .
Opaque : Does not allow light to pass through Absorbs or reflects all incoming light
Examples include:Bricks,Stones,Mirror ,Wood,Metals,Thick plastic
Rectilinear propagation of light : Rectilinear propagation of light is the phenomenon of
light traveling in a straight line in a uniform medium
Examples:
A laser beam or a flashlight beam are examples of rectilinear propagation of light
● Light travels in a straight line when there are no obstacles or disturbances.
● Light only changes direction when it passes through a different medium, such as air,glass
or water. This is known as refraction.

Ray of Light : A line drawn in the direction of propagation of light is called a ray of light

Beam of light:A beam of light is a group of light rays that travel in a specific direction.
Different types of beams :
Parallel beam : A group of light rays parallel to each other is known as parallel beam of

light.

Divergent beam : A group of light rays spreading out from a source of light is called

divergent beam of light.

Convergent beam : A group of light rays meeting at a point is called convergent beam

of light.

Plane Mirror : A highly polished smooth surface is called plane mirror

Plane mirror is a piece of glass whose one side is polished by using silver paint, which is
covered by a coating of red paint to protect the silver layer.
Q)Why is a mirror coated with silver?
● Metals are the most commonly used mirror coatings. Because of their reflectivity,
● Mirrors are coated with silver because silver is highly reflective, allowing it to reflect
almost 100% of light
REFLECTION OF LIGHT : when a ray of light falls on a smooth surface then it
bounces back into the same medium . This phenomenon of light is called
Reflection of light.
Laws of Reflection: There are 2 laws of reflection
1) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
i.e Li =Lr
2) The incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal to the reflecting
surface all lie in the same plane
Note:THESE LAWS OF REFLECTION ARE APPLICABLE TO ALL TYPES OF
REFLECTING SURFACES INCLUDING SPHERICAL SURFACES.
USES OF THE LAWS OF REFLECTION :-These laws can be used
(i) To predict the direction of a reflected ray of light
(ii) To given the direction of the incident ray and the properties of the
surface.
(iii)They are also used in the design of optical instruments, such as
mirrors , lenses,telescopes and microscopes.
PRACTICE PROBLEMS :-
Q)A ray of light is incident towards a plane mirror at an angle of 30° with
the mirror surface. What will be the angle of reflection?
Q) A light ray strikes a reflective plane surface at an angle of 54°with the
surface.
(i) Calculate the angle of incidence.
(ii) Calculate the angle of reflection.
(iii) Calculate the angle made by the reflected ray and the surface.
(iv) Calculate the angle made by the incident and reflected rays.
Q)A light ray is incident normally on a plane mirror. The angle of
reflection will be?
SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS :
INCIDENT RAY:- The ray of light of light which striking the smooth plane mirror
surface at a point is called "Incident ray"
REFLECTED RAY: After reflection, the ray of light of light which bounces back into
same medium is called "Reflected Ray"
NORMAL: Imagine a line drawn perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point
of incidence is called "Normal "
Note:-
(i)Normal is always drawn at point of incidence.
(ii)Normal is making an angle of 90 with reflecting surface(plane mirror )
POINT OF INCEDENCE(O):-It is point where incident ray striking the reflecting
surface .
The point of incidence is represented with the symbol "O".
Angle of incidence(i): The angle between the incident ray and the normal.
The angle of incidence is represented by symbol ' i '
Angle of reflection(r): The angle between the refected ray and the normal.
The angle of reflection represented by symbol ' r '
GLANCING ANGLE(g):-The angle between incident ray /reflected ray and
reflecting surface (mirror ) is called Glancing angle (g).
From above daigram g + i = 90 (or) g + r = 90
ANGLE OF DEVIATION (d):-The angle between reflected ray and Original path of
the light is called angle of deviation (d).
The angle of deviation represented with the symbol d or symbol (delta).
From the above diagram i + r + d =180
According to laws of reflection i = r
i + i + d =180
2i + d =180
d = 180 -2i ( or) 180 - 2r
Note: angle of deviation d = 180 -2(90 - g)
d = 180 - 180 + 2g
d = 2g
Q)The angle of deviation of a light ray reflected by a plane mirror is
150. The angle of reflection is _____?
Types of reflection :-Based on the nature of surfaces, light
reflection can be categorized into two main types
There are two main types of light reflection.
(i) Regular reflection (or) Specular reflection
(ii) Irregular reflection (or) Diffused reflection
WRITE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REGULAR AND IRREGULAR REFLECTION -
Q)Which type of reflection results in a clear and sharp reflection?
Specular or regular reflection produces a clear and sharp reflection
NOTE:The number of images we see depends on the angle between the two
mirrors(θ).

Image : After reflection /refraction from a mirror/ lens,The reflected rays/ refracted rays
acctually meet (intersect ) or appear to meet at a point ,that point is called an image.
Images are mainly classified into 2 [Link] are
1)Real image (always inverted)
2)Virtual images (always erect )
Difference Between Real Image and Virtual Image:
Q)Why are real images always inverted?
A real image occurs when the rays converge. A real image is always formed below the
principal axis, so these are inverted whereas a virtual image is always formed above the
principal axis so these are always erect.
Q)Are real images always smaller than objects?
No, real images can be either smaller or larger than the object. But real images are always
inverted
Q)Why is it called a virtual image?
As this type of image is formed due to the imaginary intersection of light rays, it is called a
virtual image.
Formation of image in a plane mirror(point object):
Consider a point object O placed in front of a plane mirror MM . The mirror will form an
image I o f the o bject O. Let us see how this image is formed

Formation of image in a plane mirror(Extededobject):

Characteristics of the image formed by a plane mirror are:
1. Image formed in a plane mirror is always Virtual and erect.
2. Image is Behind the mirror.
3. Size of the image is equal to the size of the object.
4. Laterally inverted image. (Image of left side visible on the right side)
5. Distance of the image behind the mirror is equal to the distance of an object in front of the
mirror.

LATERAL INVERSION:Lateral inversion is the phenomenon where the left

and right sides of an object appear reversed in a reflection.
(or)
The right side of the object appears to be the left side of its image and
vice -versa and this phenomenon is called lateral inversion .
● It is also known as left-right reversal.