: DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE : Subject : PHYSICS [10 SET B] NOTES : REFLACTION & REFRACTION OF LIGHT : Date : 27/10/2013

NAME OF THE STUDENT : ____________________________________

Refraction of Light Waves : -

The bending of light, when it passes from one medium to another medium is called refraction. The bending is caused because of the difference in density (refractive index) between two medium. During refraction, speed, wavelength and direction of light changes but the frequency remains the same.
N
N

Incident ray
Incident ray

Ii
Ii Air (Rarer medium) Surface of separation (S.O.S)

Glass (Denser Medium) Surface of separation (S.O.S) Air (Rarer medium)

Glass (Denser Medium) Actual Path of the incident ray Ir Angle of deviation

Ir

Refracted ray

Actual Path of the incident ray Angle of deviation

Refracted ray

[i] Rarer medium to Denser medium.

When light passes from rarer (air) to denser medium (glass, water), it bends towards the normal. Angle of incidence (i) is greater than the angle of refraction (r). Speed and wavelength decreases and frequency remains the same.

[ii] Denser medium to Rarer medium.

When light passes from denser (glass, water) to rarer (air) medium to it bends away from the normal. Angle of incidence (i) is less than the angle of refraction (r). Speed and wavelength increases and frequency remains the same.

[iii] An incident ray normal to the surface of separation (i = 0 0), is not refracted, it passes or emerges out as a straight ray.
When light rays falls on a transparent surface, some part of it is reflected, refracted and absorbed as shown in Fig.
Diffused light

Incident Ray Ii

[iv] Double Refraction :

Air Glass Ir

SOS Refracted Ray in Glass

When a ray of light falls on a glass-slab, double refraction takes place. First refraction is from air to glass (at surface AB) and the second refraction is from glass to air (at surface CD). The emergent ray is parallel to the incident ray but it is displaced from its original path.

Ii

Ir N

Emergent Ray in air (Refracted Ray)

 Refractive index Refractive index medium. It is denoted by Refractive index,

(Snells Law): is the ratio of the speed of light in air or vacuum to the speed of light in n and it has no unit.
n Speed of light in air or vacuum Speed of light in medium

It is also given by : (1) Rarer medium to Denser medium, n sin i (2) Denser to Rarer medium, n sin r
sin i

sin r

(3) Denser to Rarer medium, n

1 sin C

, where C = critical angle

[iv] Refraction in a Prism :

In a triangular prism the deviation (bending) of a ray due to refraction at the first surface is added to the deviation at the second surface, Fig (a) bellow. The angle by which an emergent ray is deviated from the actual path of the incident ray is called the angle of deviation. Dispersion of Light Waves : When sunlight (white light) falls on a triangular glass prism a band of colors called spectrum is obtained. White screen This effect is known as dispersion of light. Red Orange Dispersion occurs because white light is a mixture of Yellow Spectrum Green many colors which are separated by the prism because Blue Triangular prism Indigo the refractive index of glass is different for each color. Violet Refractive index of glass is greatest for violet color, so it bends the most and lowest for the red color, so it bends the list. Sir Issac Newton 1666.
Angle of deviation

Triangular prism Fig. (A)

: MONOCHROMATIC LIGHT :
A A light of only one color or one frequency or one wavelength is called monochromatic light. B C Monochromatic light When a monochromatic light ray incidents on a prism it is just Q refracted from both the surface and deviates from its original D path, as shown in the fig. bellow. R P S Monochromatic light PQ incidents on the prism at point Q is refracted as ray QR in the prism and is again refracted at R and emerges out as ray RS. Another monochromatic ray AB enters the prism along the normal at B and it travels without refraction as ray BC in the prism. This ray is refracted at C by the prism and emerges out as ray CD.

If the angle of incident inside the glass is 42 o, it is refracted at 90 o to the SOS. If the angle of incident is greater than 42 o , it is totally internally reflected.

: CRITICAL ANGLE AND TOTAL INTERNAL REFRACTION :

When light passes at right angle from a denser medium to a rarer medium, there is no Air refraction and it passes straight. When light passes at small angle of incident Refracted ray N N N from a denser medium to a rarer medium, SOS 90 there is a strong refracted ray. When angle of incident increases, the angle of Ii >c Ii=c refraction also increases. At certain angle of incident in the denser Water medium the angle of refraction in the rarer 0 medium is 90 . The angle of incident for which the angle of Critical angle ( r =90 ) refraction is 90 0 is called the critical angle c. For the angle of incident i > c , all the rays will be reflected back inside the denser medium (in the same medium) and this is called the total internal reflection.
0

Reflected ray (total internal reflection)

: OPTICAL FIBER :
In fiber optics, the principle of total internal reflection is used. Optical fibers are very light, flexible, and thin pipes made from thin glass or plastic threads. When light strikes the side of the tube it is usually at an angle greater than the critical angle so that it is totally internally reflected several times until it emerges from the far end. They are used in telecommunications and medical instruments (endoscope).

: Totally REFLECTING PRISMS :

Light can be reflected by an angle of 90 o or 180 o using a 45 o glass prism as shown in the diagram bellow. The critical angle of an ordinary glass is 42 o and a ray falling normally on the face PQ hits face PR at 45 o . (Here, the angle of incident is larger than the critical angle of the glass) Total internal reflection takes place and the ray is reflected through 90 o with the incident ray. [ 45 o + 45 o = 90 o ] Totally reflecting prisms replace mirrors in good periscopes. Fig. (a) When light falls normally on the face PR, [Fig. (b)] , it strikes the surface PQ at 45 o . Total internal reflection takes place and it strikes the surface QR at 45 o , again total internal takes place and the ray emerges out at an angle of 180 o to the incident ray. For this properties of prism it is used in a binoculars.
P
45
o

P 45o
45
o o

45

45 45
o o o o

45

45

90

45

90

Q Fig (a)

Q Fig (b)

45

: images formed by one prism and by combination of two prisms :

P Object Q Object Q Image (rotation o by 90 ) P

Image (rotation by 90 o) Image (rotation o by180 ) Image Q (rotation o by180 ) P

Object

H.W. 1) Q. 6 : M/J/2001 2) Q. 6 : M/J/2006 3) Q. 6 : O/N/2008