Chapter 13 Light waves

Seeing the light Luminous objects: Objects that emit their own light Non-luminous objects: Objects that do not emit light. We see them because they reflect light. Light waves are transverse waves and can be reflected, refracted and diffracted. Reflection When a ray of light strikes a plane (flat) mirror, it is reflected so that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. How the periscope works? Rays from object strikes the first mirror at the angle of 45 to the normal. The rays are reflected at 45 to normal and so are turned through an angle of 90 by the mirror. The same thing occurred at the second mirror and so on. Images created by a plane mirror

Properties of a plane mirror

The image is as far behind the mirror as well as the object in front. The image is the same size as the object The image is virtual it cannot be produced on screen The image is laterally inverted that is the left side and right side of the image appears to be interchanged.

Real images: Images created with rays of light actually passing through them. Refraction When the ray of light crosses the boundary between two media (less dense to more dense), it slows down. The change in speed may cause the ray to change direction. This is called refraction. If the ray strikes the boundary between the two media at 90, the ray continues without changing direction. Refractive index: Each material has a different refractive index (the ratio between the sine of the angle of incidence and the sine of angle or refraction)

Total internal reflection

When a ray of light passes from the optically more dense material to less dense material, the majority of the light is refracted but some is reflected. When the incident ray hit the boundary at a higher value than a critical angle, all the lights are reflected. This is called total internal reflection

Using total internal reflection

1. Prismatic periscope: Prisms are used instead of plane mirrors. It creates a sharper and brighter image as no multiple images are created. 2. Reflectors: Light entering the prism undergoes total internal reflection twice, travelling back in the direction from which it originally came. Its used in bicycle reflectors and binoculars. 3. Optical fibers: A thin strand composed of two different types of glass; a central core of optically less dense glass around is coated with optically less more dense lass. As the fibers are very narrow, light entering the inner core always strikes the boundary of two glasses an angle that is always greater than the critical angle. Bundle: Large numbers of these fibers fixed together. Note: If the fibers are tapered, it is also possible to produce a magnified image. Optical fibers are used in endoscope which is used by the doctor to see the inside of the body. It can also be used by engineers to see inaccessible parts of machinery. Optical fibers in telecommunications: Modern systems use optical fibers rather than copper wires to transmit messages. Electrical signals from a telephone are converted into light energy by tiny layers, which send pulses of light into the ends of the optical fibers. A light-sensitive detector at the other end changes the pulses back to electrical signals, which then flows into an ear piece. Dispersion White light is a mixture of colors. When if passes through a prism, it emerges as a band of colors called a spectrum. Each color travels through the prism at a slightly different speed, so each color is diffracted at a different angle. Due to refraction, the color emerges from the prism in a slightly different direction. The speed of red light is changed the lease and so red has the smallest deviation. Done by: Khaing Thu Thu