REVISION NOTES

Er. Amandeep Sharma

[Link] (KUK)
Exp. 15 Years

Sachin Rathee
[Link](CS), PGDCA
9518867943
 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

Light – Reflection and Refraction

Light is a form of energy. Light is needed to see things around us.

Nature of Light :-
According to wave theory : Light consists of electromagnetic waves which do not require a material
medium (like solid, liquid or gas) for their propagation.
The wavelength of visible light waves is very small (being only about 4 × 10–7 m to 8 × 10–7 m). The
speed of light waves is very high (being about 3 × 108 metres per second in vacuum).

According to particle theory : Light is composed of particles which travel in a straight line at very high
speed. The elementary particle that defines light is the ‘photon’

Reflection of Light :- Reflection is the phenomenon of bouncing back

of light into the same medium on striking the surfaceof any object.

Note:- Silver metal is one of the best reflectors of [Link] mirrors

are made by depositing a thin layer of silver metal on the back side of a
plane glass sheet. The silver layer is then protected by a coat of red
paint.
The reflection of light in a plane mirror (or any other mirror) takes place
at the silver surface in it.

Ray and. Beam Of Light

A ray of light is the straight line along which light travels.
A ‘bundle of light rays’ is called a ‘beam of light’

REFLECTION OF LIGHT FROM PLANE SURFACES

PLANE MIRROR
The ray of light which falls on the mirror surface is called the
incident ray.
The point at which the incident ray falls on the mirror is called the
point of incidence.
The ray of light which is sent back by the mirror is called the
reflected ray.
The ‘normal’ is a line at right angle to the mirror surface at the
point of incidence.
The angle of incidence is the angle made by the incident ray with
the normal at the point of incidence.( ∠i )
The angle of reflection is the angle made by the reflected ray with
the normal at the point of incidence.( ∠r )

Laws of Reflection
First law: The incident ray, the normal to the surface at the point of incidence and the reflected ray,all
lie in the same plane.
Second law: The angle of reflection (r) is always equal to the angle of incidence (i).

Note :- A ray of light which is incident normally (or perpendicularly) on a mirror, is reflected back along
the same path (because the angle of incidence as well as the angle of reflection for such a ray of light
are zero).

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The laws of reflection of light apply to all kinds of mirrors, plane mirrors as well as spherical mirrors (like
concave mirrors and convex mirrors).

Regular Reflection and Diffuse Reflection of Light

Regular Reflection :- In regular reflection, a parallel beam of incident light is
reflected as a parallel beam in one direction.
In this case, parallel incident rays remain parallel even after reflection and go only
in one direction Regular reflection of light occurs from smooth surfaces like that
of a plane mirror (or highly polished metal surfaces).
For example, when a parallel beam of light falls on the smooth surface of a plane
mirror, it is reflected as a parallel beam in only one direction

Diffused Reflection :- In diffuse reflection, a parallel beam of incident light is

reflected in different directions.
In this case, the parallel incident rays do not remain parallel after reflection, they
are scattered in different directions.
The diffuse reflection is also known as irregular reflection or scattering. The
diffuse reflection of light takes place from rough surfaces like that of paper,
cardboard, chalk, table, chair, walls and unpolished metal objects.
For example, when a parallel beam of light rays falls on the rough surface of a
sheet of paper, the light is scattered by making reflected rays in different
directions.

Note :- Please note that the diffuse reflection of light is not due to the failure of
the laws of reflection. Diffuse reflection is caused by the roughness (or irregularities) in the reflecting
surface of an object (like paper or cardboard, etc.).
The laws of reflection are valid at each point even on the rough surface of an object.

Objects and Images

Anything which gives out light rays (either its own or reflected by it) is called an [Link] is an optical
appearance produced when light rays coming from an object are
reflected from a mirror (or refracted through a lens).

Real Images and Virtual Images

The image which can be obtained on a screen is called a real
image. The images formed on a cinema screen is an example of
real images.
The image which cannot be obtained on a screen is called a
virtual image. A virtual image can be seen only by looking into a
mirror (or a lens).

Formation of Image in a Plane Mirror

• The ray AD coming from a finite object incident on the
mirror MM’ and gets reflect back at the same angle.
• The ray BF and BG incidents on the mirror and get reflects
back
• These rays that are AD, BF & BG doesn’t appear to be meeting in real they gets extended back
and forms a virtual image of the object.

Characteristics of image formed by a plane mirror

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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
• The image obtained is virtual.
• The image is laterally inverted.
• The image is erect.
• The size of the image is the same as the size of the object.
• The distance between the image obtained from the mirror is the same as the distance between the
object from the mirror.

Uses of Plane Mirrors

(i) Plane mirrors are used to see ourselves. The mirrors on our dressing table and in bathrooms are plane
mirrors.
(ii) Plane mirrors are fixed on the inside walls of certain shops (like jewellery shops) to make them look
bigger.
(iii) Plane mirrors are fitted at blind turns of some busy roads so that drivers can see the vehicles coming
from the other side and prevent accidents.
(iv) Plane mirrors are used in making periscopes.

Sample Problem 1. An incident ray makes an angle of 35° with the surface of a plane mirror. What is the
angle of reflection ?

Sample Problem 2. David is observing his image in a plane mirror. The distance between the mirror and
his image is 4 m. If he moves 1 m towards the mirror, then the distance between David and his image will
be :
(a) 3 m (b) 5 m (c) 6 m (d) 8 m

Sample Problem 3. The rear view mirror of a car is a plane mirror. A driver is reversing his car at a speed
of 2 m/s. The driver sees in his rear view mirror, the image of a truck parked behind his car. The speed at
which the image of the truck appears to approach the driver will be :
(a) 1 m/s (b) 2 m/s (c) 4 m/s (d) 8 m/s

REFLECTION OF LIGHT FROM CURVED SURFACES : SPHERICAL

MIRRORS
A spherical mirror is that mirror whose reflecting surface is the part of a
hollow sphere of glass. The spherical mirrors are of two types : Concave
mirrors, and Convex mirrors.
(i) A concave mirror is that spherical mirror in which the reflection of
light takes place at the concave surface (or bent-in surface).
(ii) A convex mirror is that spherical mirror in which the reflection
of light takes place at the convex surface (or bulging-out surface).

Note : A spherical mirror (concave mirror or convex mirror) works on the reflection of light.

Centre of Curvature, Radius of Curvature, Pole and Principal Axis of a Spherical Mirror
Centre of Curvature : The centre of curvature of a spherical mirror is the centre of the hollow sphere of
glass of which the mirror is a part.
Note : The centre of curvature of a concave mirror is in front of it but the centre of curvature of a convex
mirror is behind it.

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Radius of Curvature : The radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is the radius of the hollow sphere of
glass of which the mirror is a part.

Pole : The centre of a spherical mirror is called its pole. In other words, the middle point of a spherical
mirror is called its pole.

Principal Axis : The straight line passing through the centre of curvature and pole of a spherical mirror
is called its principal axis.

Aperture : That portion of a mirror from which the reflection of light actually takes place is called the
aperture of the mirror.
Note : The aperture of the mirror represents mirror’s size itself

Diagram to show the terms related to concave and convex mirror

Principal Focus and Focal Length of a Concave Mirror

The principal focus of a concave mirror is a point on its principal
axis to which all the light rays which are parallel and close to the
axis, converge after reflection from the concave mirror.

A concave mirror has a real focus. The focus of a concave mirror

is in front of the mirror

The focal length of a concave mirror is the distance between its

pole and principal focus.

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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
Principal Focus and Focal Length of a Convex Mirror
The principal focus of a convex mirror is a point on its principal axis
from which a beam of light rays, initially parallel to the axis, appears
to diverge after being reflected from the convex mirror.

A convex mirror has virtual focus

The focus of a convex mirror is situated behind the mirror.

Relation between Radius of Curvature and Focal Length of a

Spherical Mirror
For a spherical mirror having small aperture, the principal focus (F) lies exactly mid-way between the pole
(P) and centre of curvature (C).
𝑅
𝑓=
2
Focal length of a mirror is the numeric half of a radius of curvature of spherical mirror.

RULES FOR OBTAINING IMAGES FORMED BY CONCAVE MIRRORS

Rule 1. A ray of light which is parallel to the principal axis of a concave mirror, passes through its focus
after reflection from the mirror.

Rule 2. A ray of light passing through the centre of

curvature of a concave mirror is reflected back along the
same path.

Rule 3. A ray of light passing through the focus of a

concave mirror becomes parallel to the principal axis after reflection.

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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
Rule 4. A ray of light which is incident at the pole of a concave mirror is reflected back making the same
angle with the principal axis.

FORMATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF IMAGES BY A CONCAVE MIRROR

The type of image formed by a concave mirror depends on the position of object in front of the mirror.
We can place the object at different positions (or different distances)
from a concave mirror to get different types of images. For example,
we can place the object :
(i) Between the pole (P) and focus (F)
(ii) At the focus (F)
(iii) Between focus (F) and centre of curvature (C),
(iv) At the centre of curvature (C),
(v) Beyond the centre of curvature (C)
(vi) At far-off distance called infinity

CASE -1 : When object is placed at infinity

Object Image
Nature Real Real & inverted
Position At infinity At focus
Very large Highly Diminished,
Size
Point sized

Case – 2 : When object is beyond Centre of Curvature (C)

Object Image
Nature Real Real & inverted
Position Beyond C Between C & F
Size Large Diminished

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Case – 3 : When object is Placed at centre of

curvature (C)

Object Image
Nature Real Real & inverted
Position At C At C
- Same size as that of
Size
object.

Case – 4 : When object is placed between Centre of Curvature and Focus

Object Image
Nature Real Real & inverted
Between Beyond C
Position
C&F
Size Small Enlarged / Magnified

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Case – 5 : When object is placed at Focus

Object Image
Nature Real Real & inverted
Position At focus At infinity
Size Small Highly Magnified

Case – 6 : When object is placed between focus and pole of the mirror

Object Image
Nature Real Virtual & Erect
Between Behind the mirror
Position
P&F
Size Small Enlarged / Magnified

Uses of Concave mirror

(i) Concave mirrors are used as shaving mirrors to see a large image of the face.
(ii) Concave mirrors are used as make-up mirrors.
(iii) Concave mirrors are used by dentists to see the large images of the teeth of patients.
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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
(iv) Concave mirrors are used as reflectors in torches, vehicle head-lights and search lights to get powerful beams
of light.
(v) Concave reflectors are also used in room heaters.
(vi) Large concave mirrors are used in the field of solar energy to focus sun’s rays for heating solar furnaces.

Sample Problem 1. We wish to obtain an erect image of an object using a concave mirror of focal length 15 cm.
What should be the range of distance of the object from the mirror ? What is the nature of the image ? Is the image
larger or smaller than the object ? Draw a ray-diagram to show the image formation in this case.

Sample Problem 3. A concave mirror has a focal length of 10 cm. Where should an object be placed in front of
this concave mirror so as to obtain an image which is real, inverted and same size as the object ?

Sample Problem 4. An object is placed at the following distances from a concave mirror of focal length 10 cm : (a)
8 cm (b) 15 cm (c) 20 cm (d) 25 cm
Which position of the object will produce :
(i) a diminished real image ? (ii) a magnified real image ?
(iii) a magnified virtual image ? (iv) an image of the same size as the object ?

RULES FOR OBTAINING IMAGES FORMED BY CONVEX MIRRORS

Rule 1. A ray of light which is parallel to the principal axis of a convex mirror, appears to be coming from its focus
after reflection from the mirror.

Rule 2. A ray of light going towards the centre of curvature of a convex mirror is reflected back along the same
path.

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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
Rule 3. A ray of light going towards the focus of a convex mirror becomes parallel to the principal axis after
reflection.

Rule 4. A ray of light which is incident at the pole of a convex mirror is reflected back making the same angle with
the principal axis.

Note : Whatever be the position of object in front of a convex mirror, the image formed by a convex mirror is always
behind the mirror, it is virtual, erect and smaller than the object (or diminished).

FORMATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF IMAGES BY A CONCAVE MIRROR

There are two main positions of an object in the case of a convex mirror from the point of view of position and size
of image. The object can be :
(i) Anywhere between pole (P) and infinity, and
(ii) At infinity.

Case – 1 : When object is anywhere between pole (P) and infinity

Object Image
Nature Real Virtual and Errect
Between Behind the mirror
Position infinity
and P
Size Large Diminished

Case – 2 : When object is at infinity

Object Image
Nature Real Virtual and Errect
Position At infinity Behind the mirror
Size Very large Highly Diminished

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Uses of Convex Mirrors

(i) Convex mirrors are used as rear-view mirrors in vehicles (like cars, trucks and buses) to see the traffic at the
rear side (or back side).
(ii) Big convex mirrors are used as ‘shop security mirrors
Ques). Why driver prefer Convex mirror as a rear view mirror ?
Ans). A convex mirror enables a driver to view much larger area
of the traffic behind him than would be possible with a plane
mirror.

How to Distinguish Between a Plane Mirror, a Concave

Mirror and a Convex Mirror Without Touching Them
A plane mirror will produce an image of the same size, A
concave mirror will produce a magnified image whereas A
convex mirror will produce a diminished image

SIGN CONVENTION FOR SPHERICAL MIRRORS

These days New Cartesian Sign Convention is used for measuring the various distances in the ray diagrams of
spherical mirrors (concave mirrors and convex mirrors).
According to the New Cartesian Sign Convention :
(i) All the distances are measured from pole of the mirror
as origin.
(ii) Distances measured in the same direction as that of
incident light are taken as positive.
(iii) Distances measured against the direction of incident
light are taken as negative.
(iv) Distances measured upward and perpendicular to the
principal axis are taken as positive.
(v) Distances measured downward and perpendicular to
the principal axis are taken as negative

The object is always placed on the left side of the mirror

All the distances measured from the pole (P) of mirror to the right side will be considered positive
All the distances measured from the pole (P) of mirror to the right side will be considered positive

Some Important Conclusions

Ser No. Distance Sign
1 Object Distance (u) Always negative ( - )
Negative for real
2 Image Distance (v)
Positive for virtual images
3 Height of Object (ho/h1) Always positive ( + )
Positive for virtual
4 Height of image (hi/h2)
Negative for real and inverted
Positive for virtual
5 Magnification (m)
Negative for real and inverted

MIRROR FORMULA
A formula which gives the relationship between image distance (v), object distance (u) and focal length (f) of a
spherical mirror is known as the mirror formula.
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The formula is :
1 1 1
+ =
𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ
Or
1 1 1
+ =
𝑣 𝑢 𝑓
Where ;
f = focal length of the mirror v=image distance u=object distance
Linear Magnification Produced by Mirrors
The ratio of the height of image to the height of object is known as linear magnification.
ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒
𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡
i.e.
ℎ𝑖
𝑚=
ℎ𝑜
Alternatively the formula can also be re written as :
ℎ2
𝑚=
ℎ1
The linear magnification produced by a mirror is equal to the ratio of the image distance to the object distance, with
a minus sign.
𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑚= −
𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

Or
𝑣
𝑚=−
𝑢
Important Points :
1. A convex mirror, however, forms only virtual images, so the magnification produced by a convex mirror is
always positive.
2. If the magnification m has a value greater than 1 then the image is bigger than the object.
3. If the magnification m is exactly 1, then the image is of the same size as the object.
4. The linear magnification (or just magnification) (m) produced by a concave mirror can be less than 1, equal
to 1 or more than 1.
5. A convex mirror forms images which are always smaller than the object, so the linear magnification (m)
produced by a convex mirror is always less than 1.
6. A plane mirror forms images which are always of the same size as the object, therefore, the magnification
(m) produced by a plane mirror is always 1.
7. The sign value of magnification is + for virtual images and – for real images.

Numerical problems based on Concave and Convex mirrors :

Ques 1). Find the size, nature and position of image formed when an object of size 1 cm is placed at a distance of
15 cm from a concave mirror of focal length 10 cm.

Ques 2). An object 2 cm high is placed at a distance of 16 cm from a concave mirror which produces a real image
3 cm high.
(i) What is the focal length of the mirror ? (ii) Find the position of the image.

Ques 3). What is the nature of the image formed by a concave mirror if the magnification produced by the mirror is
+3 ?

Ques 4). An object 3 cm high is placed at a distance of 8 cm from a concave mirror which produces a virtual image
4.5 cm high :
(i) What is the focal length of the mirror ? (ii) What is the position of image ?
(iii) Draw a ray-diagram to show the formation of image.

Ques 5). An object of size 7.0 cm is placed at 27 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 18 cm. At what
distance from the mirror should a screen be placed so that a sharp focussed image can be obtained ? Find the size

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 PHYSICS LIGHT – REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
and nature of image.

Ques 6). A large concave mirror has a radius of curvature of 1.5 m. A person stands 10 m in front of the mirror.
Where is the person’s image ?

Ques 7). A bright object 50 mm high stands on the axis of a concave mirror of focal length 100 mm and at a distance
of 300 mm from the concave mirror. How big will the image be ?

Ques 8). An object 5 cm high is placed at a distance of 10 cm from a convex mirror of radius of curvature 30 cm.
Find the nature, position and size of the image.

Ques 9). An object 1 cm tall is placed 30 cm in front of a convex mirror of focal length 20 cm. Find the size and
position of the image formed by the convex mirror.

Ques 10). A shop security mirror 5.0 m from certain items displayed in the shop produces one-tenth magnification.
(a) What is the type of mirror ? (b) What is the radius of curvature of the mirror

Ques 11). What type of mirror could be used :

(a) as a shaving mirror ?
(b) as a shop security mirror ?

Ques 12). A man standing in front of a special mirror finds his image having a very small head, a fat body and legs
of normal size. What is the shape of :
(a) top part of the mirror ?
(b) middle part of the mirror ?
(c) bottom part of the mirror ?
Give reasons for your choice.

Ques 13). Two big mirrors A and B are fitted side by side on a wall. A man is standing at such a distance from the
wall that he can see the erect image of his face in both the mirrors. When the man starts walking towards the
mirrors, he finds that the size of his face in mirror A goes on increasing but that in mirror B remains the same.
(a) mirror A is concave and mirror B is convex
(b) mirror A is plane and mirror B is concave
(c) mirror A is concave and mirror B is plane
(d) mirror A is convex and mirror B is concave

Ques 14). An object 20 cm from a spherical mirror gives rise to a virtual image 15 cm behind the mirror. Determine
the magnification of the image and the type of mirror used

Ques 15). The radius of curvature of a convex mirror used as a rear view mirror in a moving car is 2.0 m. A truck is
coming from behind it at a distance of 3.5 m. Calculate
(a) position, and
(b) size, of the image relative to the size of the truck. What will be the nature of the image ?

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