CHAPTER 7

LIGHT, COLOUR
AND SIGHT

Images formed by a plane

mirror

The information of image by a plane

mirror is a result of the reflection of
light.

Images formed by plane mirrors have

the following characteristics :
a) Laterally inverted (the right side
and left side are interchanged)
b) Virtual (images that cannot be
displayed on screen)
c) Upright (images have the same
orientation as the actual object)
d) Same size as the object
e) Same distance of the object and
the image from the mirror

Images formed by convex and

concave lenses
LENSES
A lens is an object which is made of
transparent material such as glass or
clear plastic.
It has two faces, of which at least one
is curved.
There are two types of commonly
used lenses; the convex lens and
the concave lens.

Convex lenses

Concave lenses

Parallel rays through

lenses

When parallel rays of light pass

through a convex lens, the rays of
light are converged and meet at a
point. This point where the parallel
rays of light meet is called the focal
point (F).

Convex lens

When parallel rays of light pass

through a concave lens, the rays of
light are diverged from the focal
point.

Concave lens

Optical
Symbol
term
Principal axis
-

Optical
centre
Focal point

O
F

Meaning
The straight line that
passes through the focal
point and the optical
centre. It is perpendicular
to the vertical axis of the
lens.
The centre of the lens.
The point of the principal
axis where the rays
travelling parallel to the
principal axis.
Are converged after
passing through a convex
lens

Optical term

Symbol

Meaning

focal length

The distance between

the focal point and the
optical centre.

Object
distance

The distance between

the object and the
optical centre.

Image
distance

The distance between

the image and the
optical centre.

Rays diagram

Ray diagram can be used to illustrate

the formation of images by lenses.
Rays diagram show the path taken by
light from an object to form an
image.
The rays of light are represented by
straight lines. Arrows on the lines
indicate the direction of light.

Rules for drawing ray diagrams for

a convex lens

Rules for drawing ray diagrams for

concave lens

Formation of image by a convex

lens

Formation of image by a concave

lens
The characteristics of the image
formed by a concave lens are not
affected by the object distance.
The image formed by a concave lens
is always:
Virtual
Upright
Diminished

Determining the focal length of

convex lenses

The focal length of a lens is the

distance between the focal point and
the optical centre of the lens.
The focal length of a lens is
represented by f.
The focal length of a convex lens
depends on the thickness of the lens.

The thinner the convex lens, the

longer is its focal length.
This is because a thinner convex lens
converges parallel rays of light to a
point further from the lens than a
thicker convex lens.

7.2 The Formation of Images by

Optical Instrument

Pinhole Camera

Condition

Characteristics of the
image

The object is placed closer A larger, real and inverted

to the pinhole
image is formed
The object is placed
further away from the
pinhole
The pinhole is made
smaller

A smaller, real and

inverted image is formed

The pinhole is made

bigger

A brighter but blurred

image is formed

A convex lens is placed in

front of the camera

A bright and sharp image

is formed

A sharp but dim image is

formed

Periscope

A periscope is an optical
instrument designed for viewing
things over an obstacle or from a
concealed position.
A periscope functions on the principle
of the reflection of light.
The image formed by a periscope is
Virtual
Upright
The same size as the object

Telescope

A telescope has two convex lenses of

different focal length (objective lens
and eyepiece lens)
The objective lens has a longer focal
length (f o) while the eyepiece lens
has a shorter focal length (f e).
Normal adjustment = (f o + f e).

The objective lens focuses parallel light

rays from a distant object at its focal point
(F o). The image formed is real, inverted
and smaller than the object.
The eyepiece lens is positioned so that the
image formed by the objective lens is at the
focal point of the eyepiece lens (F e).
The eyepiece lens forms a virtual,
inverted and larger image at infinity.

The Human Eyes and

Camera

Human
eye
Eye lens

Function
To focus on the object

Camera
Camera
lens
Aperture

Pupil

The opening that allows

light rays to enter

Eyelid

To control the duration for Shutter

light to enter

Retina

Screen that is sensitive to Film

light for the formation of
image

Iris

To control the size of the

opening

Diaphgram

Object

Eye

Camera

Distant
object

To focus on a distant
object:
The ciliary muscles
relax
The eye lens becomes
thinner
The focal length
becomes longer

To focus on a distant
object:
The lens moves inwards

Object

Eye

Camera

Near
object

To focus on a near
object:
The ciliary muscles
contract
The eye lens becomes
thicker
The focal length
becomes shorter

To focus on a near object:

The lens moves
outwards

7.3 Light Dispersion

Light dispersion : the separation of

white light into its component
colours.

To understand light dispersion, we

have to understand that:
a) Light travels in a straight line
b) Light is refracted when its travel
from one medium into another
medium with different densities
c) White light is actually a mixture of 7
different colours of light
d) Different colours of light are
refracted at slightly different angles.

Dispersion of light through a prism

Spectrum : a band of colours

When a beam of white light passes
through a prism, its different
component colours are refracted at
slightly different angles.
Red light has the greatest speed,
hence it is refracted the least.
Violet light has the slowest speed,
hence it is refracted the most.

Recombining the colours in the

spectrum

The formation of a rainbow

A rainbow is a natural phenomenon caused

by the dispersion of sunlight by raindrops
suspended in the air.
When sunlight (white light) enters raindrop,
its component colours are refracted and
dispersed at different angles.
These dispersed lights undergo total
internal reflection. When these lights leave
the rainbow, they are refracted again
before entering the eyes of the observer.

Sometimes a primary rainbow and a

secondary rainbow are formed.
The secondary rainbow has violet on
the top curve and red on the bottom
curve.
The formation of the secondary
rainbow is due to the reason that the
light in the water droplets is reflected
twice.