Chapter 23 - Light: Geometric Optics

A model that assumes light travels in stright lines called rays

The subject that studies the ray nature of light and how it interacts with objects

The angle between a ray of light striking a surface and a line normal to the surface being hit

The angle between a reflected light ray and a line normal to the surface being reflected

Angle of reflection equals angle of incidence

Occurs when light hits a rough surface and reflects in many directions since the angle of the surface is different across

Reflection on a mirror, light reflects at the same angles and will only hit your eyes at the right angle

A reflection of objects in a mirror

A mirror with a single flat reflective surface

The point from which a set of diverging rays appears to come from when an object is reflected in a mirror

The distance at which an image in a mirror appears to be from the mirror

The image seen and reflected from a plane mirror

An image where light passes through the image and can appear on a white surface, or on film

A mirror whose surface is curved i the shape of a sphere or a section of one

Describes a spherical mirror where the reflective surface is on the outside of the spherical shape

Describes a spherical mirror where reflection takes place on the inside

The point at which rays that strike a concave mirror will cross

The straight line perpendicular to the curved surface at its center, light rays mustbe parallel to this axis in order to have a focus

The point where reflected rays come to a focus

The length between the focal point and center of a concave mirror

Rays that make small angles with the principal axis

A mirror shape that will reflect rays at a perfect focus

The distance an object is from the center of a spherical mirror, represented by do

The distance an object’s virtual image is from the center of a spherical mirror, represented by di

Relates the object and image distances to the focal length

Defined as the height of the image divided by the height of the object

The distance an focal point is from the center of the mirror

The ratio between the speed of light in a vacuum and a given material, never less than 1

The change in direction of a light ray due to it entering a new medium

Also called Snell’s law, used to relate the angles of incidence and refraction in optics

The angle of incidence at which this occurs

Occurs when all light is reflected back into the medium it originatedfrom, can only occurs when n2 < n1

A bundle of plastic or blass fibers that use total internal reflection to transmit signals in the form of light

A lens that is thicker in the center than at its edges, they focuses light

A lens that is thinner in the center than at its edges, they spread light out

A unit for lens power, defined as the inverse of a meter

Formed by a double convex lens, since rays actually pass through the image

Relates image distance to object distance and focal length

Same as the magnification of a mirror

Relates focal length of a lens to its radii of curvature, and index of refraction