REFRACTION Light rays reflect and refract.

If the light slows down, it bends toward the normal line (glass < air). Angles are measured with the normal line. Light rays are reversible. LAW OF REFRAC

c = 3 108 m/s v is always less than c, so n >1 for all media. nair = 1.000293 n is dimensionless. n is a measure of the optical density of a material.

Angles

must be measured with the normal.

LENSES-REFRACTION A lens is a transparent object that converges or diverges light by refraction. A converging lens is thicker at the middle. A diverging lens is thinner at the middle. Light actually bends at each surface. However, for thin lenses, we can show light bending only once at the center of the lens. Focal length (f) is the distance from the focal point (F) to the center of the lens.

Refraction-Sign Conventions p is positive if the object is in front of the lens.

q is positive if the image is behind the lens (real and inverted). q is negative if the image is in front of the lens (virtual and upright). f is positive for converging lenses and negative for diverging lenses. h and h are positive if upright and negative if inverted. The Eye and Corrective Lenses-REfractiom Light is refracted at both the cornea (outer surface) and the lens. When functioning properly, the converging lens can adjust so that the image is focused on the retina. Muscles adjust the thickness of the lens. Many people are nearsighted (myopia) and cant see distant objects clearly. Older people are often farsighted (hyperopia) and cant see nearby objects. The lens becomes inflexible with age and cant be made thicker to focus on nearby objects. Nearsightedness The image forms in front of the retina, possibly because the retina is too long. What type of lens is needed in front of the eye to correct the problem, converging or diverging? Explain your reasoning. Answer: a diverging lens Farsighted The image forms behind the retina, possibly because the lens is inflexible. What type of lens is needed in front of the eye to correct the problem, converging or diverging? Explain your reasoning. Answer: a converging lens Combining Lenses Microscopes and refracting telescopes use two lenses. The objective lens forms a real image that is located inside the focal point of the eyepiece. The eyepiece magnifies the first image, creating a large virtual image.

Total internal reflection occurs if the angle in the denser medium is too great. Light cant emerge so it is reflected back internally. Occurs if the angle is greater than the critical angle (c). Used in fiber optics, right angle prisms, and diamond cutting.

c occurs when the angle in the less dense medium is 90. At the critical angle, the emerging ray travels along the surface. At greater angles, the rays are totally internally reflected.

hot air near the earths surface.

Mirages are caused by the refraction of light as it strikes the

This phenomena can be observed when driving on blacktop roads on hot summer days. Inverted cars can be seen approaching, with the actual cars up above them.

Dispersion Refraction or n depends on the wavelength. Longer wavelengths refract less. Prisms disperse the light into a spectrum. Chromatic aberration is a lens problem where different colors focus at different points. Can lead to imperfect images for cameras with less expensive lenses.

Refraction: Why does the lawnmower turn when it strikes the grass? The right wheel slows down before the left one. Light waves behave in the same way. Refraction is the bending (change in direction) of light when it travels from one medium into another. Caused by a change in speed