SPECIALIZATION: PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Focus: Light and Geometric Optics

Prof. Crisanta A. Ocampo

Competencies:
1. Apply the properties of wave interference, refraction, reflection and diffraction in light.
2. Use Snells Law to calculate incident and refracted angles of a light ray at the interface
between media of varying densities.
3. Predict the direction of the reflected light using the law of reflection.
4. Relate dispersion to the color separation of white light as it travels through the prism at
non-normal incidence.
5. Identify the different types of polarization and the different methods of polarizing light.
6. Describe qualitatively the intensity of the scattered light as it varies with wavelength.
7. Differentiate a converging lens from a diverging lens.
8. Relate focal length to the object/image height and distance in mirrors and lenses.

PART I CONTENT UPDATE

Light is a form of energy that is visible to the human eye. Light exhibits WAVE-PARTICLE
duality in which it behaves as a bundle of transverse electromagnetic waves and particles called
photons. Light travels at the speed of 300,000,000 meters per second (3 x 108 m/s) in a straight line. It is
the fastest traveling energy form in the universe.

THEORIES OF LIGHT

PARTICLE THEORY OF LIGHT:

Isaac Newton in 1675 proposed the corpuscular or the particle theory of light. He pictured
light as streams of tiny particles that travel in straight lines emitted by light sources.

LIGHT AS A WAVE

Christian Huygens in 1679 proposed the wave theory of light. His idea was that light are
actually waves instead of particles. Other scientists also believed this idea because diffraction
and interference properties of waves were exhibited by light, which the particle theory could not
explain. Furthermore, light also exhibits characteristics such as frequency and wavelength. For
these reasons, the wave theory of light replaced the particle theory.

DUALITY OF LIGHT

This theory combines both the wave and particle models as suggested by Max Planck.
According to this theory, light is absorbed or released in bundles of energy called photons.

ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY OF LIGHT

James Clerk Maxwell in 1875 was credited for combining light, electricity and magnetism
into one theory. His theory of electricity led him to the conclusion that every electrical disturbance
moved from its source through space in waves with a velocity of 300,000 kilometers per second.
 http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/ugrad/305/EMWave.jpg

One wave is due to the rapidly vibrating electric field, while the other is due to the
magnetic field vibrating back and forth at the same frequency as the electric wave. These waves
act together as a single ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE in which VISIBLE LIGHT forms part of the
spectrum.

Characteristics of Light:

Wavelength, (Greek letter lambda), is a common way of describing light waves. It is the
distance between two crests or the distance between two troughs. This distance is expressed in meters,
m.

The number of crest passing through a given time is the frequency, f of light. It is measured in
"cycles per second" called Hertz, Hz.

Light has a constant speed, c, through a given substance. It travels at a speed of approximately
3 x 108 meters per second in vacuum. Light with the same frequency is called monochromatic light.
Below is a simple relationship between the wavelength, frequency and the speed of light:

c f
where:

c speed of light in a vacuum

f frequency of light
wavelength
Rearranging the equation gives

c c
f
f
These relationships mean that if you increase the frequency, you must decrease the wavelength.
 HIGHER frequency means SHORTER wavelength

The frequency of light and its energy

Based on Max Planck's work, Einstein proposed that light also delivers its energy in chunks of
particles, or quanta, called photons, each with an energy of Planck's constant multiplied by its frequency.
Each particular frequency of light has a particular energy associated with it, given by another simple
equation:

E hf
where:

E = energy of light
h = Planck's constant = 6.63x10-34J s
f = frequency of light
LIGHT and COLOR

Our eye and brain allow us to see the world in color. Not everyone perceives color in the same
way. Color is a property of objects that our minds create. Colors are the way our brain interprets this light
through our eyes. Typically, humans have three different types of cones with photo-pigments that sense
three different portions of the spectrum. Each cone is tuned to perceive primarily long wavelength
(sometimes called red), middle wavelengths (sometimes called green), or short wavelengths (sometimes
called blue), referred to as L-, M-, and S- cones respectively. Also, red, green and blue are considered the
primary colors of light.

Light Frequency and Colors

Wavelength and frequency of light can be shown using the colors in the visible spectrum. At
constant speed, the frequency of light is determined by its color. The color with highest energy is the one
with the highest frequency and with the smallest wavelength.

Colors are perceived when the different wavelengths composing white light are selectively
interfered with by matter (absorbed, reflected, refracted, scattered, or diffracted) on their way to our eyes.
The range of light spectrum from about 400 nanometers (violet) to about 700 nanometers (red) is shown
in the range of light wavelengths as a smoothly varying rainbow of colors, otherwise known as the visible
spectrum.

VISIBLE SPECTRUM:

COLOR WAVELENGTH (nm) FREQUENCY (THz)

RED 622 780 384 482
ORANGE 597 622 482 503
YELLOW 577 597 503 520
GREEN 492 - 577 520 610
BLUE 455 492 610 659
VIOLET 390 - 455 659 - 769

Properties of Light
REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

Light exhibits the following properties as a transverse electromagnetic wave:

Reflection the bouncing back of light upon hitting a smooth

surface like a mirror. Light is reflected off the surface such that
the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. This
is what we call the LAW OF REFLECTION.

There are two types of reflection.

REGULAR reflection reflects all parallel rays at the
same angle, like a mirror.
DIFFUSE reflection reflects parallel rays at all
different angles so that no image is transmitted, like a
piece of paper.

MIRROR

REGULAR REFLECTION (SOURCE: http://www.forhair.com/Articles/The_reflection.htm)

ROUGH SURFACE

DIFFUSE REFLECTION (SOURCE: http://www.forhair.com/Articles/The_reflection.htm)

Note: Light always follow the law of reflection, whether the reflection occurs off a smooth surface or off
a rough surface.

Refraction - Refraction is the bending of light as it passes between materials of different optical
density. The property of the medium through which the wave disturbance is traveling determines
the speed of disturbance. When passing from one medium to another, a change in velocity
happens at the boundary of the two media and the frequency remains the same. Light travel
faster in a less dense medium so that the bending of light from less dense to a denser medium
(air to water) is toward the normal and away from the normal if it is from denser to less dense
medium (water to air). Refer to the diagram below.

SOURCE: http://riker.ps.missouri.edu/rickspage/refract/refraction.
Snell's Law gives the relationship between angles of incidence and refraction for a wave passing through

two media with different indices of refraction. The equation is shown below
n11 = n2sin2

where:

n1 indexofrefractionofmedium1
n2 indexofrefractionofmedium2 SOURCE:
http://aeea.nmns.edu.tw/photo/light_1
1 angleofincidence 020.jpg
2 angleofrefraction

Dispersion - Light is composed of waves of different wavelengths that correspond to different colors of
lights. When light wave passesthrough a material, these different wavelengths cause refraction by
different amounts according to the wavelengths and which gives rise to different colors seen
through prism.

http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~gilmore/images/collection/misc/prism.gif

Mirage or atmospheric refraction - a phenomenon that looks like a pool of water. It happens when hot
surface warms the air immediately above it to a higher temperature than the air higher up. A light ray is
bent, or refracted, upward. This is because light travels faster in warmer and less dense air than in denser
and cold air. The faster motion in the lower part of a light ray speeds ahead of the upper part, causing it to
bend (refract) upward.

When the refracted light ray meets your eye, it appears to be coming from the road surface
instead of the distant sky.

Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon that occurs when a ray of light strikes a
medium boundary at an angle larger than the critical angle with respect to the normal to the surface.

The critical angle is the minimum angle of incidence for which light rays are totally reflected. It is
the angle in which the total internal reflection occurs. The angle of incidence is measured with respect to
the normal at the refractive boundary.
The critical angle c is:

where

n2 is the index of refraction of the less dense medium,

n1 is the index of refraction of the denser medium.

A common example of total internal reflection is the sparkling of diamond that is perfectly-cut.
Another example is an optical fiber. It is a glass or plastic fiber that carries light along its path. Fiber
optics is used in endoscopy (internal medicine) and telecommunication.

The ray of light which strikes the surface is called the incident ray.
The ray of light which bounces back the surface is called the reflected ray.
The ray of light which leaves the surface/interface is called the refracted ray.
An imaginary line perpendicular to the surface is called the normal line.
The angle between the incident ray and the normal is called the angle of incidence, or the
incident angle.
The angle between the reflected ray and the normal is called the angle of reflection, or the
reflected angle.
The angle between the refracted ray and the normal is called the angle of refraction, or the
refracted angle.
DIFFRACTION AND INTERFERENCE

Diffraction - This is the bending of light waves around obstacles in its path. When a light wave
approaches a barrier with a small opening, it acts as a single point source from where light
emerges in all direction. The amount of diffraction depends on the wavelength of light, with
shorter wavelengths being diffracted at a greater angle than longer ones (in effect, blue and violet
light are diffracted at a higher angle than is red light).

The illustration on the right shows how light

from a source is bent around small droplets in the
cloud. In the atmosphere, diffracted light is actually
bent around atmospheric particles like tiny water
droplets found in clouds. Diffracted light can produce
fringes of light, dark or colored bands.

The waves that bend around behind barriers

create a bright line where the shadow would
ordinarily begin. Waves that bounce back into the path of the light overlap waves from the source,
creating an interference pattern of light and dark bands around the edge of the object.

Interference - When two light waves coincide, it can create either constructive or destructive
interference based on how crest & trough of each wave coincide with other. If the crests of one of
the waves coincide with the crests of the other, their amplitudes increase. This is called
constructive interference. If the crests of one wave coincide with the troughs of the other wave,
the resultant amplitude is decreased or canceled. This is called destructive interference.

SOURCE: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/lightandcolor/interferenceintro.html

POLARIZATION

The process in which transverse waves vibrate in a direction perpendicular to their direction of
propagation is called polarization. Light wave traveling forward can vibrate up and down (in the vertical
plane), from side to side (in the horizontal plane), or in an intermediate direction. Polarized light waves
are light waves in which the vibrations occur in a single plane while unpolarized light are light waves
which are vibrating in more than one plane.
Methods of polarizing light:

Polarization by Transmission
Polarization by Reflection
Polarization by Refraction
Polarization by Scattering

Polarization by TRANSMISSION

The most common method of polarization by transmission is through the use of colored sheet
of transparent material like a polaroid filter. Polaroid filters are made of a special material that is capable
of blocking one of the two planes of vibration of an electromagnetic wave. A Polaroid filter serves as a
device which sieves out one-half of the vibrations upon transmission of the light through the filter. When
unpolarized light is transmitted through a polaroid filter, it emerges with one-half the intensity and with
vibrations in a single plane; it emerges as polarized light.

Polarization by Reflection

Reflection of light off non-metallic

surfaces results in some degree
of polarization parallel to the
surface

Light can also undergo polarization by reflection. The degree to which polarization occurs is
dependent upon the angle at which the light approaches the surface and what material the surface is
made of. Metallic surfaces reflect light such that the reflected light is unpolarized. Nonmetallic surfaces
such as asphalt roadways, snowfields and water reflect light such that the direction of vibrations in a
plane is parallel to the reflecting surface. A person viewing objects by means of light reflected off of
nonmetallic surfaces will often perceive a glare if the extent of polarization is large. For instance,
fishermen are familiar with this glare since it prevents them from seeing fish that lie below the water. Light
reflected off a lake is partially polarized in a direction parallel to the water's surface. Fishermen know that
the use of glare-reducing sunglasses with the proper polarization axis allows for the blocking of this
partially polarized light. By blocking the plane-polarized light, the glare is reduced and the fisherman can
more easily see fish located under the water. Also, the wearing of colored sunglasses can also reduce the
glare of light particularly during summer time.

Polarization by Refraction

Polarization can also occur by the refraction of light. Refraction occurs when a beam of light
passes from one material into another material. At the surface of the two materials, the path of the beam
changes its direction. The refracted beam acquires some degree of polarization. Most often, the
polarization occurs in a plane perpendicular to the surface.

The polarization of refracted light is shown using a unique crystal that serves as a double-
refracting device. It refracts incident light into two different paths. The light is split into two beams upon
entering the crystal that result to the double refraction of light. Both refracted light beams are polarized -
one in a direction parallel to the surface and the other in a direction perpendicular to the surface. Since
these two refracted rays are polarized with a perpendicular orientation, a polarizing filter can be used to
completely block one of the images. If the polarization axis of the filter is aligned perpendicular to the
plane of polarized light, the light is completely blocked by the filter;
meanwhile the second image is as bright as it can be. And if the filter is
then turned 90 in either direction, the second image reappears and the
first image disappears.

The diagram on the right

illustrates the two refracted rays
passing through the crystal are
polarized with perpendicular
orientations.

Polarization by Scattering

Polarization also occurs when light is scattered while traveling through a medium. When light
strikes the atoms of a material, it will set the electrons of those atoms into vibration which produces their
own electromagnetic wave that is radiated outward in all directions. This newly generated wave strikes
neighboring atoms, forcing their electrons into vibrations at the same original frequency. These vibrating
electrons produce another electromagnetic wave that is once more radiated outward in all directions. This
absorption and reemission of light waves causes the light to be scattered along the medium. Polarization
by scattering is observed as light passes through our atmosphere. The scattering of light off air molecules
produces linearly polarized light. Polarization by scattering produces a glare in the skies.

GEOMETRIC OPTICS:

MIRRORS AND LENSES

In the study of light as a transverse wave, we relate mirrors to reflection and lenses to refraction.

Mirrors are flat, smooth and shiny surfaces that reflect light rays. Mirrors are classified as follows:

Mirrors that we see every day in bathrooms are very flat surfaces that reflect almost all the light.
These are called PLANE mirrors. The image formed in a plane mirror is virtual, that seems to be
behind the mirror. This image is of the same size of the object from where the rays come. The
distance between the object and the mirror is the same and laterally reversed.

CURVED (SPHERICAL) MIRRORS

Concave mirrors (or converging mirror) are the ones whose
reflecting surface is the inside part of the ball. The reflected ray will pass
through the principal focus if the incident ray is parallel to the principal
axis.

Convex mirrors (or diverging mirror) are the ones whose

reflecting surface is the outside part of the ball. The reflected ray
will seem to come from the principal focus if the incident ray is
parallel to the principal axis.

PARTS OF A SPHERICAL MIRROR

 principal axis - imaginary line
passing through the center of
the sphere to the vertex

center of curvature - point in the center of the sphere from which the mirror was sliced and is
denoted by the letter C

vertex - point on the mirror's surface where the principal axis meets the mirror and is denoted by
the letter A. The vertex is the geometric center of the mirror.

focus - midway between the vertex and the center of curvature denoted by the letter F

radius of curvature - distance from the vertex to the center of curvature is represented by R.
The radius of curvature is the radius of the sphere from which the mirror was cut.

focal length - the distance from the mirror to the focal point or focus represented by f. Since the
focal point is the midpoint of the line segment adjoining the vertex and the center of curvature, the
focal length would be one-half the radius of curvature.

TYPES OF IMAGES FORMED:

CONCAVE MIRROR:

If the object is placed in between the vertex and the focus of a

mirror, a virtual and enlarged image is formed located behind the
mirror.

If the object is placed at the center of curvature, real or inverted

image is formed. The size of the image is the same as the size of the
object. The image is located at C.

If the object is placed in between C and F, the image is real and

enlarged located beyond C and in front of the mirror.

If the object is placed on the focus, no image is formed. The reflected

rays do NOT intersect.

If the object is placed beyond C, the image is smaller and inverted,

located between C and F.

CONVEX MIRROR
 The image of an object in front of a convex mirror is upright, reduced in
size (smaller than the object), virtual, and located at a position behind
mirror. The location of the object does not affect the characteristics of the
image.

Step-by-Step Method for Drawing Ray Diagrams for SPHERICAL MIRRORS

Ray diagrams provide useful information about object-image

relationships. A ray diagram is a diagram which traces the path which light takes in order for a person to
view a point on the image of an object.

The method for drawing ray diagrams for spherical mirror (concave and convex mirrors) is
described below. The same steps are also followed for a convex mirror.

Using a straight edge, draw a ray passing through the

focal point on the way to the mirror. Draw the second ray
parallel to the principal axis. Place arrowheads upon the
rays to indicate their direction of travel.

The ray that passes through the focal point on the way to
the mirror will be reflected and travel parallel to the
principal axis. The ray which traveled parallel to the
principal axis on the way to the mirror will be reflected
passing through the focal point. Place arrowheads upon
the rays to indicate their direction of travel. Extend the
rays past their point of intersection.

The image point of the top of the object is the point where
the two reflected rays intersect.

From the principal axis draw a ray to the point of

intersection. This will show the complete image. The
image description would depend on the size and
orientation form the principal axis.
 The Mirror Equation

The quantity of the image distance and image size obtained from the Ray Diagram can be
verified using the Mirror Equation and the Magnification Equation.

THE MIRROR EQUATION

The mirror equation expresses the relationship between the object distancedo
(do), the image distance (di), and the focal length (f). The equation is stated as:

di
MAGNIFICATION EQUATION
The magnification equation relates the ratio of the image distance and object
distance to the ratio of the image height (hi) and object height (ho).

An optical effect observed in mirrors is called SPHERICAL ABERRATION. It is due to the

increased reflection of light rays when they strike a mirror near its edge than those nearer the center. The
result is that the images of objects as seen in spherical mirrors are often blurred or distorted. This can be
corrected using a parabolic mirror with a more distinct shape than an ordinary spherical mirror.

A lens is a piece of transparent material which refracts light rays. Lenses can be thought of as a
series of tiny refracting prisms, each of which refracts light to produce their own image. When these
prisms act together, they produce a bright image focused at a point.

There are two basic types of lenses:

Convex lens (or converging lens) Thicker at the center

and thinner at the edges so that the rays converge and meet
at a common point called focus.

Concave lens (or diverging lens). Thinner at the center than at

the edges to spread rays apart.

Parts of a LENS
Optical center, O

principal axis - the imaginary line that pass through the optical center

vertical axis - an imaginary line which bisects the symmetrical lens into half, where light
rays incident towards either face of the lens and traveling parallel to the principal axis will
either converge or diverge
focal point if light rays converge (as in a converging lens), then they will converge to a
point. This point is known as the focal point of the converging lens. If the light rays
diverge (as in a diverging lens), then the diverging rays can be traced backwards until
they intersect at a point. This intersection point is known as the focal point of a diverging
lens. Each lens has two focal points, one on each side of the lens.

focal length - the distance from the mirror to the focal denoted by f. A lens does not have

a center of curvature but it has an imaginary point which is called the 2F point. This is the
point on the principal axis which is twice as far from the vertical axis as the focal point is.
TYPE OF LENS LOCATION OF OBJECT DESCRIPTION OF IMAGE OF IMAGE
Convex Beyond 2F Real, inverted and reduced
 At 2F Real, inverted and the same height
Between F and 2F Real, inverted and magnified
At F No image is formed
In front of F Virtual, erect and magnified
Anywhere in front of the
Concave Virtual erect and reduced
lens

An error in lenses is called CHROMATIC ABERRATION. This happens if the focal length of a
lens varies with the wavelength of light that pass through it. This can be corrected by putting together a
concave and a convex lens to form a single lens.

RAY TRACING

Draw ray from top of object parallel to the optical axis, through the lens and then passing through
a focal point.
Draw ray through center of lens. Path remains unchanged.
Draw ray through focal point and on to lens. After passing through the lens, it runs parallel to the
optical axis.

CONVEX
(CONVERGING)
LENS
d
di
o

CONCAVE
(DIVERGING
) LENS
di
d
o
LENS AND MAGNIFICATION EQUATIONS

The same formula used in the mathematics of mirrors are also used in lenses:

LENS EQUATION MAGNICATION EQUATION

Sign Conventions:

f + for converging (convex) lens and diverging (concave) mirror

f - for diverging (concave) lens and converging (convex) mirror
di + if the image is a real image
di - if the image is a virtual image
hi + if the image is a virtual and upright image
hi - if the image a real and inverted

LENS AND THE EYE

Refraction refers to the total process by which the eye focuses light. Three factors determine the
eye's refractive power: the curvature of the cornea, the power of the lens and the length of the eyeball.
When these factors do not function accurately refractive error occurs and this error results to common eye
defects.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when the curvature of the cornea is too steep or the eyeball
is too long, causing light entering the eye to be focused in front of the retina, rather than directly on the
retina. Near objects are seen clearly, but objects in the distance appear blurry. This can be corrected
using a concave lens. A concave lens allows the refracted rays to spread.
 SOURCE: http://www.whiteeye.net/vision.html

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the curvature of the

cornea is shorter than normal or the curvature of the cornea is too flat,
causing light entering the eye to be focused behind the retina, rather than
directly on the retina. Objects in the distance are seen clearly, but objects
close up appear blurry. This can be corrected using a convex lens. This lens
allows light rays to converge or meet at a point.
SOURCE: http://www.whiteeye.net/vision.html

Astigmatism occurs when the curvature of the cornea is irregularly

shaped, scattering light rays entering the eye so that they are focused both in
front of and behind the retina, rather than directly on the retina. Vision is
blurred at all distances. This can be corrected by putting together a convex
and a concave lens to form a single lens.

SOURCE:
http://www.vision-surgery.com/conditions-astigmatism.html

Presbyopia - The word "presbyopia" comes from the Greek and means "elder eye". It is the
vision condition where the crystalline lens of the eye loses its flexibility making it difficult to focus up close
as people gets older. After age 40, people begin to experience blurred vision at near points such as when
reading or working on a computer. This happens to everyone when they age, even those individuals who
have never had a prior vision problem. This can be treated using reading glasses, eyeglasses with
progressive addition lenses, bi-focals, (2F), tri-focals, (3F) and contact lenses.

PART II ANALYZING TEST ITEMS

1. Which quantity is equivalent to the product of the index of refraction of water and the speed of
light in water?
a. Frequency of light in water c. Sine of the angle of incidence
b. Speed of light in a vacuum d. Wavelength of light in a vacuum

Answer: b
The index of refraction, n, of a substance is equal to ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the
speed of light in a material.
c
n
v

Therefore : c = nv

The correct formula is NOT applicable for choices a, c and d

2. Which diagram on the right represents the behavior of ray of monochromatic light in air incident
on a block of crown glass?

a. b. c. d.

Answer: d
Light travels faster in less dense medium (air) than in denser medium (crown glass). Thats why
the bending is toward the normal. And aside from refraction, glass also reflects light rays in which
the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
 Choice A: Light is refracted in crown glass, but the angle of refraction is greater than the angle of
incidence. Crown glass is denser than air.
Choice B: Light is refracted twice.
Choice C: Light was NOT refracted.

3. Two plane mirrors are positioned perpendicular to each other as

shown in the figure:

A ray of red light is incident on mirror 1 at an angle of 55. This ray

is reflected from mirror 1 and then strikes mirror 2 and is reflected
again. The angle of reflection will be:
a. 35 c. 55
b. 45 d. 70

Answer: a
The angle of reflection is equal to angle of incidence. The angle of reflection in mirror 1 is 55.
The angle of incidence on mirror 2 is 35 (90 55), so the angle of reflection on mirror 2 is 35.
Choice B: NOT shown in the figure
Choice C: 55 is the angle of reflection on Mirror 1
Choice D: 70 is the angle between the angle of incidence and angle of reflection on
Mirror 1

4. A ray of light with a frequency of 5.0 x 10 14 Hz is incident on

air and corn oil at an angle of 35 as shown. The ray is
transmitted through parallel layers of corn oil and glycerol
and is then reflected from the surface of a plane mirror
located below which is parallel to the layers of corn oil and
glycerol. The ray emerges from the corn oil and glycerol and
back into the air at point P. What will be the angle of
refraction of light rays as it enters the corn oil from air?
a. Less than 35 c. Equal to 35
b. Greater than 35 d. None of these

Answer: a
Refraction is the bending of light rays upon entry to medium of different densities. Light travel
faster in less dense medium than in denser medium. Corn oil is denser than air.
Choice b: Light bend away from the normal if it travels from denser to less dense medium.
Choice c: The angle of incidence is NOT equal to the angle of refraction because light bends
away or toward the normal depending on the density of the media.
5. A spherical mirror that forms only virtual images has radius of curvature of 0.50 m. The focal of the
mirror is
a. -0.25 m b. +0.25 m c. -0.50 m d. +0.50 m

Answer: a
A virtual image is always formed on a convex mirror. The focal length is one-half () the radius of
curvature and is negative (-)
Choices b: the focal length is +
Choice c and d is NOT the radius of curvature

6. A light ray with a frequency of 5.09 x 10 14 Hz, is traveling in air incident at

an angle of 40 as shown. What will be the angle of refraction as shown
as it travels from air to water?
a. Less than 40 c. Greater than 40
b. Equal to 40 d. None of these

7. The diagram on the right shows a ray of light passing from air to
glass at an angle of incidence of 0. Which of the following
statements best describes the speed and direction of the light ray
as it passes into the glass?
a. Only the speed changes
b. Only the direction changes
c. Both speed and direction changes
d. Neither the speed nor the direction changes

8. A ray of light is incident on air-sodium chloride boundary as shown

on the figure on the right. Part of the light rays is reflected and some are refracted. Which
statement best describes the comparison between the angle of reflection of air and the angle of
refraction of sodium chloride?
 a. The angle of reflection is equal to the angle of refraction.
b. The angle of reflection is smaller than the angle of
refraction.
c. The angle of reflection is greater than the angle of
refraction.
d. Cannot be determined

9. Which diagram shown below represents the path taken by the light
as it passes from air to the other materials shown?

a. c.

b. d.

10. As light wave passes from a medium with index of refraction of 1.5 into a medium with index of
refraction of 1.2, its ________.
a. frequency increase c. frequency decreases
b. wavelength increase d. wavelength decreases

11. Light that has passed through a polarizing filter is called _______.
a. photoelectric light c. transverse light
b. polarized light d. white light

12. In 1905, Albert Einstein suggested that light energy travels in tiny packets or particles called
_______.
a. neutrons b. electrons c. photons d. gamma
rays

13. Which electromagnetic waves have the longest wavelengths and lowest frequencies?
a. Infrared waves c. Radio waves radio waves
b. Gamma rays d. Ultraviolet rays

14. What happens when parallel rays of light hit a smooth surface?
a. Diffuse reflection c. Refraction
b. Diffraction d. Regular reflection

15. What occurs when parallel rays of light hit a rough or bumpy surface?
a. Diffuse reflection c. Regular reflection
b. Diffraction d. Refraction

16. When the surface of a mirror curves inward, like the inside of a bowl, it is called a
a. concave mirror c. diffuse mirror
b. convex mirror d. plane mirror

17. What happens when light passes from air into water?
a. The light speeds up. c. The light slows down.
b. The light forms a mirage. d. The light continues at the same speed

18. An image of a distant object caused by refraction of light is called a _______.

a. prism b. mirage c. rainbow d. hologram
 19. A curved piece of glass or other transparent material that is used to refract light is called a(n)
_______.
a. mirror b. lens c. reflector d. optical fiber

20. Parallel light rays emerged through a concave lens. What kind of image is produced?
a. No image c. Only a virtual image
b. Only a real image d. Both real and virtual images

21. What happens when white light strikes a black object?

a. Blue light is reflected. c. No light is reflected.
b. Red light is reflected. d. All of the light is reflected.

For Nos. 21 and 22, refer to the diagram at the right:

21. Which one of the angles is the angle of incidence?

a. A b. B c. C d. D

22. Which one of the angles is the angle of reflection?

a. A b. B c. C

23. Consider the four pairs of sunglasses below. Which pair of glasses is capable of eliminating the
glare resulting from sunlight reflecting off the calm waters of a lake?

a. b. c. d.

24. A ray of light is incident towards a plane mirror at an angle of 30with

the mirror. What will be the angle of reflection?

a. 30 c. 90

b. 60 d. 120

25. The corpuscular theory of light explains that _______.

a. light is a wave c. light is an electromagnetic wave

b. light is a particle d. light is both a particle and a

wave

For Nos. 26 to 28, refer to the diagram below:

The diagram above shows a double-sided (with one of the sides being the concave and one
being the convex side) spherical mirror which is silvered on both sides. The principal axis, focal point f,
and center of curvature C are shown. The region is divided into eight sections (labeled M, N, P, Q, R, S, T,
and W). Five objects (labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) are shown at various locations about the double-sided
mirror.

26. The image of object 1 will be located at region _____.

a. R b. S c. T d. W

27. The image of object 2 will be located at region _____.

 a. R b. S c. T d. W

28. The image of object 3 will be located at region _____.

a. M b. P c. S d. W

29. If you look at the pool of still water your face is clearly seen. Which of the following best explains
this?
a. Scattering of white in different directions
b. Regular reflection of light by the surface of still water
c. Irregular reflection of light by the surface of still water
d. Light is reflected from the surface of still water in different directions

30. The filament in an automobile headlight radiates light that is reflected from a converging mirror.
The reflected rays form a parallel beam of light because the filament is placed _____.
a. at the principal focus
b. at the center of curvature
c. beyond the center of curvature
d. between the mirror and the principal focus

31. A farsighted person needs a convex lens to correct his vision because this lens makes the image
fall on _____.
a. on the eyeball c. before the retina of the eye
b. on the retina of the eye d. beyond the retina of the eye

32. The sun appears more reddish at sunset than at noon. Which of the following phenomena is
responsible for this effect?
a. Dispersion c. Refraction
b. Reflection d. Scattering

33. A photographer wishes to use a light in the darkroom that will emit low energy photons. Which
among the following colors is the best?
a. Blue b. Green c. Red d. Violet

34. A person standing waist-deep in a swimming pool appears to have short legs because light is
_____.
a. diffracted b. refracted c. reflected d. superimposed

35. A real and inverted image of an object is focused on a screen by a converging lens. If the upper
half of the lens is then covered, what happens to the image?
a. The lower half of the image disappears.
b. The upper half of the image disappears.
c. The image does not change in any way.
d. The entire image remains the same and becomes less bright.

36. Which of the following properties of waves accounts for the different colors of object?
a. Amplitude b. Frequency c. Velocity d. Wavelength

37. When white light passes through a grating, what is visible on the screen?
a. A full spectrum of colors c. Dark fringes of only one wavelength
b. Bright fringes of one wavelength d. Nothing will appear on the screen

38. If the index of refraction from air to glass is 3/2 and from air to water is 4/3, what happens to the
speed of light?
a. It decreases as it leaves water to enter glass.
b. It decreases as it leaves air to enter glass.
c. It decreases as it leaves water to enter air.
d. It decreases as it leaves air to enter water.

39. An object 0.080 m tall is placed 0.20 m in front of a convex lens. If the distance of the image to
the lens is 0.40 m, how tall is the image?
a. 0.010 m b. 0.040 m c. 0.08 m d. 0.16 m

40. Materials are classified according to transmission of light. A material that reflects and absorbs any
light that strikes it is _______.
a. concave b. opaque c. translucent d. transparent

PART III ENHANCING TEST TAKING SKILLS

1. A lens produces a real image by causing light rays from a common point to _____.
a. reflect constructively c. disperse into different wavelength
 b. converge and intersect at a point d. diverge and appear to come from a point

2. Light is an electromagnetic wave. All electromagnetic waves have the same _____.
a. amplitude b. frequency c. speed d. wavelength

3. Part of the electromagnetic spectrum is the visible light. Visible light can be separated into the
various colors of the visible spectrum to form a(n) _______.
a. MRI b. rainbow c. thermogram d. X-ray picture

4. Light is composed of different colors. An instrument used to view these different colors of light
produced is called a(n) _____.
a. thermogram. b. spectroscope c. radar gun d. MRI machine

5. Clear glass, water, and air are examples of what kind of material?
a. fluid b. opaque c. translucent d. transparent

For Nos. 6 8, refer to the diagram below:

6. How far is the image from the mirror?

a. 0.10 m c. 0.30 m
b. 0.20 m d. 0.40 m

7. At what distance from the mirror should an object be placed to

produce a virtual image?
a. 0.05 m b. 0.10 m c. 0.30
d. 0.50

8. As the object is moved from C to F, the size of the image _______.

a. decreases b. increases c. is unaffected d. none of these

9. What happens when light passes from air into water?

a. The light speeds up. c. The light continues at the same speed.
b. The light slows down. d. The light forms a mirage.

10. Mirrors are categorized as plane and spherical mirror or curved mirrors. A curved piece of glass
or other transparent material that is used to refract light is called a(n) _____.
a. mirror b. lens c. reflector d. optical fiber

11. What happens when white light strikes a black object?

a. Blue light is reflected. c. No light is reflected.
b. Red light is reflected. d. All of the light is reflected.

12. A person is nearsighted if he or she _______.

a. can see far away things very well c. has eyeballs that are a little too long
b. has eyeballs that are a little too short d. sees nearby objects as blurry

13. Farsightedness can usually be corrected using _______.

a. convex mirrors c. convex lenses
b. concave mirrors d. concave lenses

14. The frequency of a light wave is 5.0 x 1014 Hz. What is the period of the light wave?
a. 1.7 x 106 s b. 6.0 x 10-7 s c. 5.0 x 10-14 s d. 2.0 x 10-15 s

15. When yellow light shines on a photosensitive metal, photoelectrons are emitted. As the intensity
of light is decreased, the amount of energy emitted is _______.
a. decreased b. increased c. not changed d. unknown

16. A concave lens can form images that are _____.

a. virtual only c. either virtual or real
b. inverted only d. either inverted or erect

17. A ray of light with a frequency of 5.9 x 10 -7 m is traveling in air with an

angle of incidence or 45 as shown in the diagram on the right. If the
index of refraction of the liquid is 1.4, the angle of refraction is
approximately
a. 10 c. 30
b. 20 d. 40

18. What happens to light as it travels from alcohol to glass as shown in the figure on the right?
 a. The speed of light decreases and the ray bend toward the normal.
b. The speed of light decreases and the ray bend away from the
normal.
c. The speed of light increases and the ray bend toward the normal.
d. The speed of light increases and the ray bend away from the
normal.

19. Which of the following properties characterized light but not sound?
a. Doppler effect b. Interference c. Polarization
d. Refraction

20. Which of the following diagrams best represents light emitted from a coherent source?

a. b. c.
d.

21. When a student looks at a plane mirror, she sees a virtual image of herself. When she looks into
another mirror, the image formed was distorted. This is due to __________.
a. chromatic aberration c. regular reflection
b. diffuse reflection d. Spherical aberration

22. In which of the following diagrams could light source and an optical device be used to
demonstrate dispersion?

a. c.

b. d.

23. A ray of light strikes a plane mirror at an angle of equal to 30. The angle between the incidence
ray and the reflected ray is _______.
a. 30 b. 60 c. 90 d. 120

24. A ray of light is traveling from glass to air. The ray strikes the glass at an angle of incidence
greater than the critical angle for the glass. Which of the diagrams below represents the path of
the refracted ray?

a. b. c.
d.
25. A concave mirror served as a casing of the bulb of a cars headlight. Where should the bulb be
located to produce a parallel beam of reflected light?
a. At the principal focus of the mirror
b. At the center of curvature of the mirror
c. Between the principal focus and the mirror
d. Beyond the center of curvature of the mirror

26. A 2.0 m tall student is able to view his image from head to foot at once using a plane mirror. The
minimum length of the mirror is approximately
a. 0.50 m b. 1.0 m c. 1.50 m d. 2.50 m

For questions 27 29, refer to the information below:

 A 0.20 m tall object was placed 0.15 m in front of concave mirror. The image is formed 0.30 m
also in front of the mirror.

27. The focal length of the mirror is _______.

a. 0.10 m b. 0.45 m c. -0.10 m d. -0.45 m

28. The image is _______.

a. real and erect c. virtual and erect
b. real and inverted d. virtual and inverted

29. The height of the image is _______.

a. 0.010 m b. 0.020 m c. 0.030 m d. 0.040 m

For nos. 31 33 refer to the diagram and information given below:

A convex lens with an optical center O and principal focus F is used to produce the image of a
candle as shown.

30. How will you describe the image formed?

a. real and erect c. virtual and erect
b. real and inverted d. virtual and inverted

31. What will happen to ray RF when it reaches the lens?

a. Reflect back to R
b. Refract and pass through point 2F
c. Refract and emerge parallel to the principal axis
d. Polarize and travel perpendicular to the principal axis

32. As the candle is moved toward the left, the size of its image will _______.
a. increase c. remain the same
b. decrease d. not change
33. Which of the following diagrams best represent the path of light rays as it travels through a prism?

a.
c.

b. ray is incident on a plane mirror as shown d.

34. A light on the right:
Which best represents the reflected ray?
a. A c. C
b. B d. D

35. In which part of the visible spectrum is the energy greatest?

a. Green b. Orange c.
Red d. Violet

36. What happens when light rays pass from air to water?
a. Decrease in speed c. Decrease in frequency
b. Decrease in speed d. Increase in frequency

37. Which of the following waves can be polarized?

a. Light waves from an incandescent bulb
b. Sound waves emitted from flute
c. Roaring waves of a drum
 d. Seismic waves

38. Which of the following lenses can produce an enlarged image?

a. b. c. d.

39. When parallel light rays emerged through

the device on the right, light rays diverge.
The device could be a
a. convex lens
b. concave lens
c. plane mirror
d. rectangular glass

40. Which phenomenon may cause a concave

mirror to form fuzzy or out-of-focus image?
a. Chromatic aberration c. Scattering of light
b. Spherical aberration d. Dispersion