General Answering Rules
Start with a definition when a term or concept is asked (e.g., photonics,
photon, light).
Write only scientifically correct statements.
Give examples or applications when needed to support your explanation
Use short and clear sentences, avoid long paragraphs without meaning.
Include diagrams or equations, only if they help explain (optional but helps
earn full marks).
If a theory is mentioned, write
Who proposed it
What it explains
Its limitation (if any)
Length of Answers
Short definition questions ➤ write 3–5 lines maximum
Theory or concept questions➤ write 5–8 lines maximum
Explanation questions ➤ write 6–10 lines with a short example/equation
Extra drawings or equations are allowed but must be simple and relevant.
Academic Integrity Instruction
Students must not copy and paste answers directly from AI tools or other
[Link] responses should be written in your own words based on your
[Link] may use different sources to read and learn, but your
final answer must be original and rephrased in your own writing style.
Part 1 Question on photonics
1. Define photonics. What does it study and involve?
2. What is a photon and how is it related to light?
3. How did Isaac Newton describe the nature of light? (Explain the particle theory.)
4. What experimental evidence did Thomas Young provide to support the wave
nature of light?
5. Explain why the particle theory of light failed to explain phenomena such as
interference and diffraction.
6. What is the main idea behind the wave theory of light proposed by Christiaan
Huygens?
7. What is the photoelectric effect and how did it support the particle nature of
light?
8. Write the equation for the energy of a photon and define each term.
9. What is the speed of light in a vacuum? Mention its significance.
10. Explain the dual nature of light. How can light behave as both a wave and a
particle?
Part 2 Questions on mirror and lens
A definition
11. Define optics and list two major branches of optics.
12. State the law of reflection and mention its two rules.
13. What is refraction? Explain with one example.
14. Differentiate between real image and virtual image with examples.
15. What is total internal reflection (tir)? List two medical/healthcare applications of
tir.
16. Compare concave and convex mirrors with respect to image type and common
use.
17. Define focal length and radius of curvature. State their mathematical relationship.
18. Explain the difference between converging (convex) and diverging (concave)
lenses.
19. What type of lens is used to correct myopia? Explain how it corrects the problem.
20. What is diffraction? How is it important in spectrometry?
21. Why does light bend when it enters a medium of different density? Explain using
speed change.
22. Why is the image in a plane mirror always laterally inverted?
23. Mention any two differences between reflection and refraction.
24. Explain why a convex mirror is preferred for vehicle rear-view mirrors.
25. State the cartesian sign convention used in mirror and lens calculations.
26. What is magnification? What does it mean when magnification is
(a) positive
(b) negative
27. Why can we not obtain a virtual image on a screen? Give one example.
28. What is the purpose of using a prism in binoculars? Which optical principle is
used?
29. Explain how a convex lens helps in correcting hypermetropia.
30. What is polarization? give one practical example of its application.
B. Calculation / Numerical Questions
31. A beam of light travels from water (n = 1.33) into air (n = 1.00). Calculate the
critical angle.
32. A concave mirror has a radius of curvature of 40 cm. Calculate its focal length.
33. An object is placed 24 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 12 cm.
Find the image distance.
34. A convex mirror has a focal length of -20 cm. An object is placed 50 cm in front
of it. Find the image position.
35. A 5 cm tall object is placed at 15 cm from a concave mirror with focal length 10
cm. Find the size of the image.
36. A convex lens forms a real image 25 cm from the lens when the object is 15 cm
away. Calculate the focal length.
37. Find the image position for a concave lens of focal length -10 cm when an object
is placed 20 cm from it.
38. A converging lens has focal length 5 cm. What is its power?
39. Calculate the focal length of a lens using lens maker’s formula if
a) Radius of curvature (R₁ = +15 cm, R₂ = –15 cm),
b) Index of refraction (n = 1.5).
40. A concave mirror produces 3 times enlarged real image of an object placed at 8
cm from it. Find the image distance.
41. Light travels from diamond (n = 2.42) into air (n = 1).Calculate the critical angle
for total internal reflection, and explain why diamonds sparkle.
42. A dentist uses a concave mirror of focal length 5 cm to view a patient’s teeth.
43. If a tooth is 2 cm from the mirror, calculate
(a) Image distance
(b) Magnification
(c) Nature of the image
44. A convex lens of focal length 12 cm forms an image 18 cm from the
[Link] the object distance and magnification.
45. A concave lens of focal length -8 cm forms a virtual image 6 cm from the
[Link] the object position.
46. A biconvex glass lens (n = 1.52) has radii of curvature
R₁ = +10 cm, R₂ = –10 cm. calculate its focal length.
47. A microscope objective lens forms an image 2 cm from the lens of an object that
is 0.5 cm [Link] the focal length of the lens. Also determine whether it is
concave or convex.
48. An object is placed 30 cm from a concave mirror and produces a real image 20
cm [Link] the focal length and the radius of curvature of the mirror.
49. A swimming pool appears 1.2 m deep when viewed from [Link] depth is
1.6 m. Find the refractive index of water.
50. A convex lens of focal length 10 cm is combined with a concave lens of focal
length –25 cm (in contact).Calculate the effective focal length and power of the
combination.
51. A thick glass slab (n = 1.55) is placed in air. A light ray enters at 38°.Calculate
(a) The angle of refraction
(b) The lateral shift if slab thickness is 5 cm.
52. Scenario
A vertical object is placed 3 cm in front of a converging lens with focal
length f=6 cm
A ray from the top of the object passes through the lens following the lens
rules (parallel ray refracts through the focal point, central ray passes straight
through the lens center, etc.).
The refracted ray intersects another ray coming from the object at a point
forming the top of the image on the other side of the lens.
The image arrow has unknown height.
Question
Using the concept of triangle similarity, prove that
Determine the exact height of the image if
Object height ho=4 cm
Object distance u=3 cm
Image distance v=6 cm
Part 3 Question on Laser
Laser Basics
1. What is the meaning of the abbreviation LASER?
2. Explain the difference between spontaneous emission and stimulated emission.
3. What is population inversion, and why is it essential for laser operation?
4. What is a meta-stable state, and how does it support laser action?
5. Why is stimulated emission responsible for the coherence of laser light?
6. Define monochromaticity, directionality, and coherence as properties of laser
light.
7. Describe the process of optical pumping, and give two examples.
8. Compare continuous wave (CW) lasers and pulsed lasers.
9. Why does a laser have higher intensity compared to an ordinary bulb?
10. What are the main differences between induced absorption, spontaneous
emission, and stimulated emission?
Laser–Tissue Interaction
11. Explain the process of reflection of laser light at tissue surfaces.
12. What is the role of scattering in tissue interaction?
13. Name three major chromophores in biological tissue and the wavelengths they
absorb.
14. Compare photo-thermal, photochemical, and photo mechanical effects.
15. What is photo ablation, and why is it extremely precise?
16. How do ultrashort pulse lasers create plasma-induced ablation?
Biophotonics
17. What is biophotonics, and why is it important in healthcare?
18. Describe the principle of fluorescence and the role of fluorophores.
19. Explain how Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) forms retinal images.
20. What is the function of optical fibers in endoscopic imaging?
Calculation Questions (Numerical Problems)
Laser Power, Intensity, Fluence, and Pulse Calculations
21. A laser has a power output of 5 mW and illuminates a spot of area 0.02
cm².Calculate the intensity in W/cm².
22. A pulsed laser emits 0.05 J per pulse at a repetition rate of 50 [Link] the
average power.
23. A laser beam has a radius of 2 [Link] its spot area in cm².
24. A pulsed laser delivers 2 mJ per pulse with a pulse width of 10 [Link] the
peak power.
25. A laser beam of power 10 W spreads uniformly over a circular area of radius 5
[Link] the power density (W/cm²).
26. A pulsed laser has a peak power of 5 kW and a spot size of 0.1 cm².Calculate
the peak power density.
27. Light of wavelength 600 nm is emitted by a [Link] the frequency of the
emitted light (use c = 3 × 10⁸ m/s).
28. The energy gap between two states is 3 × 10⁻¹⁹ [Link] the frequency of
photon required to induce absorption.
29. A laser with pulse energy 0.1 J and spot area 0.5 cm² is [Link] the fluence
(J/cm²).
30. A pulsed laser emits light with pulse energy = 1 mJ at 1000 pulses/s. Calculate
the average power.