Light – Reflection and Refraction

Theoretical and Diagrammatic Questions

Reflection Of Light
1. List the properties of light.
2. Define reflection of light. State the laws of reflection of light with neat
diagram.
3. List the properties of image formation in a plane mirror.
4. Distinguish between real image and virtual image.
5. What are spherical mirrors? Define the following with the help of neat
diagram,
a) Pole d) Focal Length
b) Aperture e) Centre of curvature
c) Principal Focus f) Radius of curvature
6. Distinguish between concave mirror and convex mirror with the help of neat
diagram.
7. List the uses of the following:
a. Plane mirror
b. Concave mirror
c. Convex mirror
8. Explain laws of image formation in spherical mirrors.
9. List Cartesian Sign Conventions.
10. Give the sign convention for spherical mirrors.
11. Draw ray diagrams for concave mirror.
12. Draw ray diagrams for convex mirror.
13. Write Mirror formula.
14. Define magnification for mirror. Write its expression for spherical mirror.

Refraction Of Light

1. Define refraction of light. State the laws of refraction of light with neat
diagram.
2. State Snell’s Law with its expression.
3. Define refractive index.
4. Define absolute refractive index.
5. Derive expression for refractive index of air with respect to diamond.
6. With the help of neat diagram, list the Conditions of:
a. Bending of light ray
b. No bending of light ray.
7. Distinguish between concave lens and convex lens with the help of neat
diagram.
8. List the uses of the following:
a. Concave lens
b. Convex lens
9. Explain laws of image formation in spherical lenses.
10. Give the sign convention for spherical lenses.
11. Draw ray diagrams for concave lens.
12. Draw ray diagrams for convex lens.
13. Write Lens formula.
14. Define magnification for lens. Write its expression for spherical mirror.
15. Define power of a lens. Write its SI unit.
Analytical Questions
1. A ray of light incident normally on plane mirror.
a. What is its angle of incidence?
b. What is the direction of reflected ray? Show it with the help of a neat
diagram.
2. What is magnification of image for a real object in plane mirror?
3. Why does a ray of light incident towards Centre of curvature of spherical
mirror retraces its path after reflection?
4. Why do we prefer convex mirrors as rear-view mirror in vehicles?
5. What is the relation between Focal length (f) and radius of curvature (R) of
spherical mirror?
6. Name the mirror along with object position and image position that can give
a. An erect and same size image of object.
b. An inverted and same size image of object.
c. An erect and enlarged image of an object.
d. An inverted and enlarged image of an object.
e. An erect and diminished image of an object.
f. An inverted and diminished image of an object.
g. An inverted and point sized image of an object.
7. “The magnification produced by a spherical mirror is -3”. List four
information you obtain from this statement about the mirror/ image.
8. “A ray of light incident on a rectangular glass slab immersed in any medium
emerges parallel to itself.” Draw labelled ray diagram to justify the statement”.
Numerical
1. An object 10cm in front of a plane mirror is moved 4cm towards the mirror.
What will be the distance between the object and its image formed.
2. An object is placed at a distance 0.25m in front of the plane mirror. What is
the distance between the object and its image?
3. The radius of curvature of a mirror is 20cm. Calculate its focal length.
4. An object is placed at a distance of 30 cm in front of a convex mirror of focal
length 15 cm. Write four characteristics of the image formed by the mirror.
5. An object is placed at a distance of 12 cm in front of a concave mirror with a
radius of curvature 30 cm. List four characteristics of the image formed by the
mirror.
6. A concave mirror has a focal length of 20 cm. At what distance from the
mirror should a 4 cm tall object be placed so that it forms an image at a
distance 30 cm from the mirror? Also calculate the size of the image formed.
7. The image of a candle flame placed at a distance 30 cm from a mirror is
formed on a screen placed in front of the mirror at a distance 60 cm from its
pole. What is the nature of the mirror? Find its focal length. If the height of
the flame is 2.4 cm, find the height of its image. State whether the image
formed is erect or inverted.
8. An object 4 cm in height, is placed at 15 cm in front of a concave mirror of
focal length 10 cm. At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed
to obtain a sharp image of the object. Calculate the height of the image.
9. An object 4.0 cm in size, is placed 25.0 cm in front of a concave mirror of
focal length 15.0 cm.
a. At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed to obtain a
sharp image?
b. Find the size of the image.
c. Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of image in this case.
10. The refractive indices of glass and water with respect to air are 3/2 and 4/3
respectively. If speed of light in glass is 2 × 108 m/s, find the speed of light in
water.
11. The absolute refractive indices of glass and water are 1.5 and 1.33 respectively.
In which medium does light travel faster? Calculate the ratio of speeds of light
in the two media.
12. Water has refractive index 1.33 and alcohol has refractive index 1.36.
a. Which of the two medium is optically denser? Give reason for your answer.
b. Draw a ray diagram to show the path of a ray of light passing obliquely
from water to alcohol.
c. State the relationship between angle of incidence and angle of refraction
in the above case.
13. If the speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 10 8 m/s, find the absolute refractive
index of a medium in which light travels with a speed of 1.4 × 108 m/s.
14. A concave lens of focal length 90cm produces a image at the distance of 45cm.
What is the distance of the object from the lens?
15. An object is kept at a distance 60cm in front of a convex kens of focal length
120cm. Find the image distance.
16. A 5cm tall object is placed at a distance 3m in front of a convex lens of focal
length 2m. Find the nature, position and size of the image.
17. A convex lens of focal length 10 cm is placed at a distance 12 cm from a wall.
How far from the lens should an object be placed so as to form its real image
on the wall?
18. If an object of 7 cm height is placed at a distance 12 cm from a convex lens
of focal length 8 cm, find the position, nature and height of the image.
19. A small object is so placed in front of a convex lens of 5 cm focal length that
a virtual image is formed at a distance 25 cm. Find the magnification.
20. A concave lens of 20cm focal length forms an image 15cm from the lens.
Calculate the object distance.
21. A concave lens has focal length 15 cm. At what distance should the object
from the lens be placed so that it forms an image at 10 cm from the lens? Also
find the magnification produced by the lens.
22. Find the focal length of a concave lens having power -5D.
23. A student uses a lens of focal length 40 cm and another of -20 cm. Write the
nature and power of each lens.
24. Find the effective power of a system having lenses of powers 3D and -0.5D.

Assertion and Reasoning

• (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation
of the Assertion.
• (b): Both Assertion and Reason are true, but the Reason is NOT the correct
explanation of the Assertion.
• (c): The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
• (d): The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.

1. Assertion (A): A ray of light passing through the centre of curvature of a

spherical mirror retraces its path after reflection from the mirror.
Reason (R): A ray of light passing through the centre of curvature of a
spherical mirror is incident normally on the surface of the mirror.
2. Assertion (A): Glass is optically denser than water.
Reason (R): An optically denser medium is that in which speed of light is
comparatively less.
3. Assertion (A: Magnification of a real image is negative but magnification of
a virtual image is positive.
Reason (R): Real image is an inverted image but virtual image is an erect
image.
4. Assertion (A): A convex lens forms a virtual, erect and enlarged image of an
object situated between the lens and its principal focus.
Reason (R): A convex lens is a diverging lens.
5. Assertion (A): SI unit of refractive index is m/s
Reason (R): Glass is said to be optically denser then kerosene because optical
density of glass is greater than that of kerosene.
6. Assertion (A): A convex lens is called a convergent lens but a concave lens
acts as a divergent lens.
Reason (R): A convergent lens is that which always forms a real image of a
real object and a divergent lens is that which can never form a real image.
7. Assertion (A): Speed of light in water is 2.25×10 8m/s
Reason (R): The refractive index of water is 4/3.
8. Assertion (A: Large sized concave mirrors are used to concentrate thermal
radiation in solar furnaces.
Reason (R): A convex mirror is fitted in automobiles so as to increase the field
of view of the vehicle driver.
9. Assertion(A): Concave mirrors are used as make-up mirrors.
Reason (R): When the face is held within the focus of a concave mirror, then
a diminished image of the face is seen in the concave mirror.
10. Assertion(A: The formula connecting u, v and f for a spherical mirror is valid
in all situations for all spherical mirrors for all positions of the object.
Reason (R): Laws of reflection are strictly valid for plane surfaces.
11. Assertion(A): The mirrors used in search lights are concave spherical.
Reason (R): In concave spherical mirror the image formed is always
virtual.14)
12. Assertion(A): For observing traffic at back, the driver mirror is convex mirror.
Reason (R: A convex mirror has much larger field of view than a plane mirror.
13. Assertion(A): When the object moves with a velocity 2 m/s, its image in the
plane mirror moves with a velocity of 4 m/s.
 Reason (R): The image formed by a plane mirror is as far behind the mirror
as the object is in front of it.
14. Assertion(A): Virtual images are always erect.
Reason (R): Virtual images are formed by converging lenses only.
15. Assertion (A): The angle of incidence for a ray of light having zero angle of
reflection is two.
Reason (R): Refracting surfaces follow Snell’s Law.