Optics
Christiaan Huygens Thomas Young
(1629 - 1695) (1773 - 1829)
Wave Optics
Diffraction & Interference
Ripple Tank
Diffraction is a characteristic of wave dynamics
Interference
Constructive interference
Destructive interference
Optics
Mirrors and Lenses
Reflection
• We describe the path of light as straight-line rays
• Reflection off a flat surface follows a simple rule:
– angle in (incidence) equals angle out (reflection)
– angles measured from surface “normal” (perpendicular)
surface normal
same exit ray
incident ray angle reflected ray
Reflection Vocabulary
• Real Image –
– Image is made from “real” light rays
that converge at a real focal point so
the image is REAL
– Can be projected onto a screen
because light actually passes
through the point where the image
appears
– Always inverted
Reflection Vocabulary
• Virtual Image–
–“Not Real” because it cannot be
projected
–Image only seems to be there!
Virtual Images in Plane Mirrors
Rays seem to come from behind
the mirror, but, of course, they
don't. It is virtually as if the rays
were coming from behind the
mirror.
"Virtually": the same as if
As far as the eye-brain system is
concerned, the effect is the same
If light energy doesn't flow from the
as would occur if the mirror were
image, the image is "virtual".
absent and the chess piece were
actually located at the spot labeled
"virtual image".
Hall Mirror
• Useful to think in terms of images
“real” you
mirror only “image” you
needs to be half as
high as you are tall. Your
image will be twice as far from you
as the mirror.
LEFT- RIGHT REVERSAL
AMBULANCE
Curved mirrors
• What if the mirror isn’t flat?
– light still follows the same rules, with local surface normal
• Parabolic mirrors have exact focus
– used in telescopes, backyard satellite dishes, etc.
– also forms virtual image
Spherical Aberration
F
•F •C •C •
Spherical Mirror Parabolic Mirror
Only parallel rays close to the principal axis of a spherical mirror will
converge at the focal point. Rays farther away will converge at a point
closer to the mirror. The image formed by a large spherical mirror will be
a disk, not a point. This is known as spherical aberration.
Parabolic mirrors don’t have spherical aberration. They are used to focus
rays from stars in a telescope. They can also be used in flashlights and
headlights since a light source placed at their focal point will reflect light
in parallel beams. However, perfectly parabolic mirrors are hard to make
and slight errors could lead to spherical aberration. Continued…
Spherical vs. Parabolic Mirrors
Parallel rays converge at the Parabolic mirrors have no
focal point of a spherical spherical aberration. The
mirror only if they are close to mirror focuses all parallel rays
the principal axis. The image at the focal point. That is why
formed in a large spherical they are used in telescopes and
mirror is a disk, not a point light beams like flashlights and
(spherical aberration). car headlights.
0
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Concave Mirrors
• Curves inward
• May be real or virtual image
Concave Mirrors
• Concave mirrors are approximately spherical and have a principal
axis that goes through the center, C, of the imagined sphere and ends
at the point at the center of the mirror, A. The principal axis is
perpendicular to the surface of the mirror at A.
• CA is the radius of the sphere, or the
radius of curvature of the mirror, R .
• Halfway between C and A is the focal
point of the mirror, F. This is the point
where rays parallel to the principal axis
will converge when reflected off the
mirror.
• The length of FA is the focal length, f.
• The focal length is half of the radius of
the sphere (r = 2 f).
For a real object between f and the mirror, a
virtual image is formed behind the mirror. The
image is upright and larger than the object.
For a real object between C and f, a real image
is formed outside of C. The image is inverted
and larger than the object.
For a real object at C, the real image is
formed at C. The image is inverted and the
same size as the object.
For a real object close to the mirror but outside
of the center of curvature, the real image is
formed between C and f. The image is inverted
and smaller than the object.
What size image is formed if the
real object is placed at the focal
point f?
For a real object at f, no image is formed. The
reflected rays are parallel and never converge.
Convex Mirrors
• Curves outward
• Reduces images
• Virtual images
–Use: Rear view mirrors, store
security…
CAUTION! Objects are closer than they
appear!
Refraction
• Light also goes through some things
– glass, water, eyeball, air
• The presence of material slows light’s progress
– interactions with electrical properties of atoms
• The “light slowing factor” is called the index of refraction
– glass has n = 1.52, meaning that light travels about 1.5 times
slower in glass than in vacuum
– water has n = 1.33
– air has n = 1.00028
– vacuum is n = 1.00000 (speed of light at full capacity)
Refraction at a plane surface
• Light bends at interface between refractive indices
– bends more the larger the difference in refractive index
n1 = 1.0
n2 = 1.5
B
Convex Lenses
Thicker in the center than
edges.
– Lens that converges
(brings together) light
rays. The Magnifier
– Forms real images
and virtual images
depending on position
of the object
Concave Lenses
• Lenses that are
thicker at the edges
and thinner in the
center.
– Diverges light rays The De-Magnifier
– All images are
erect and reduced.
How You See
• Near Sighted – Eyeball is
too long and image focuses
in front of the retina
• Near Sightedness –
Concave lenses expand
focal length
• Far Sighted – Eyeball is too
short so image is focused
behind the retina.
• Far Sightedness – Convex
lense shortens the focal
length.
Cameras, in brief
object pinhole
image at
film plane
In a pinhole camera, the hole is so small that light hitting any particular point
on the film plane must have come from a particular direction outside the camera
object image at
film plane
lens
In a camera with a lens, the same applies: that a point on the film plane
more-or-less corresponds to a direction outside the camera. Lenses have
the important advantage of collecting more light than the pinhole admits
Basic optics: simple thin lens
I
Basic optics: simple thin lens
O
f
I
Basic optics: simple thin lens
O f
f
I
1/I+ 1/O = 1/f
mag = -I/O
Basic optics: simple thin lens
O f
f
I
1/I+ 1/O = 1/f
mag = -I/O
hi -di Magnification
m= =
ho do Identity:
To derive this let’s look at two rays. One hits the mirror on the axis. The
incident and reflected rays each make angle relative to the axis. A
second ray is drawn through the center and is reflected back on top of
itself (since a radius is always perpendicular to an tangent line of a
circle). The intersection of
object the reflected rays
determines the location of
ho the tip of the image. Our
•C result follows
image, from similar triangles, with
height = hi the negative sign a
consequence of our sign
convention. (In this picture
di do hi is negative and di is
Always
remember!!!
Mirror Equation Sample Problem
Suppose AllStar, who is 3 and
a half feet tall, stands 27 feet
in front of a concave mirror
with a radius of curvature of
•C •F 20 feet. Where will his image
be reflected and what will its
size be?
di = 15.88 feet
hi = -2.06 feet
Mirror Equation Sample Problem 2
Casey decides to join in
the fun and she finds a
convex mirror to stand
in front of. She sees her
image reflected 7 feet
•F •C behind the mirror which
has a focal length of 11
feet. Her image is 1
foot tall. Where is she
standing and how tall is
she? d =19.25 feet
o
ho = 2.75 feet
Short Quiz
1. A concave mirror has a focal length of 12 cm. An object with a
height of 2.5 cm is placed 40.0 cm in front of the mirror.
Calculate the image distance and its image heigh. Is the image in
front of the mirror or behind? How do you know?
2. A convex surveillance mirror in a convenience store has a focal
length of -0.40m. A customer, who is 1.7 m tall, is standing 4.5 m
in front of the mirror.
a) Calculate the image distance
b) Calculate the image height
3. A diverging lens has a focal length of 10.0 cm. A candle is
located 36 cm from the lens. What type of image will be formed?
Where will it be located?