Reflection & Refraction

Created by

Aaron Paul

Cards (14)

What is refraction? 
the bending of light
When does refraction happen to water waves?
when they cross a boundary between deep and shallow water at a non zero angle to the boundary
the change of speed at the boundary causes them to change direction
When does refraction happen to light waves?
when they travel across a boundary between air and a transparent medium or between two transparent medias
this is because the speed of light changes at this boundary
Why is glass more optically dense than air?
because light travels through it slower than in air
What effect does the properties of glass on waves have (on light waves)?
When light enters a more dense medium, it is refracted towards the normal (the angle of refraction is less than the angle of incidence)

When light enters a less dense medium, it is refracted away from the normal (the angle of refraction is greater than the angle of incidence)
What can also occur when waves cross a boundary between 2 materials?
partial reflection
the waves that cross the boundary lose energy at the boundary and so have a smaller amplitude than the incident waves
What is the line perpendicular to the mirror called?
the normal
What is the angle of incidence? 
the angle between the incident ray and the normal
What is the angle of reflection?
the angle between the reflected ray and the normal
What is relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?
they are equal
What is a virtual image?
an image formed at a place where light rays appear to come from after they have been reflected (or refracted)
it cannot be projected onto a screen
What is a real image?
An image formed by focusing light rays onto a screen.
What is specular reflection?
reflection from a smooth surface
because parallel light rays are reflected in a single direction
What is diffuse reflection? 
reflection from a rough surface
because the light is scattered in different directions