3.7.1 Objectives After completing this module, you should be able to: 1. Distinguish between light rays and light waves. 2. State the law of reflection and show with appropriate drawings how it applies to light rays at the plane and spherical surfaces. 3. State Snell’s law of refraction and show with appropriate drawings how it applies to light rays at the plane and spherical surfaces. 4. Define the index of refraction and give typical values for glass, water, and air. 5. Calculate the critical angle of incidence for the interface between two optical media and describe the process of total internal reflection. 6. Describe how total internal reflection can be used to redirect light in prisms and trap light in fibers. 7.Describe the dispersion of light and show how a prism disperses white light.
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30 questions
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- Q1What is the index of refraction of glass, typically?2.01.51.331.030s
- Q2According to Snell's law, what is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction?θ1 + θ2 = 90 degreesn1 = n2 * sin(θ2) / sin(θ1)sin(θ1) = sin(θ2)n1 * sin(θ1) = n2 * sin(θ2)30s
- Q3What phenomenon occurs when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle?Total internal reflectionRefractionDiffractionAbsorption30s
- Q4What does a prism do to white light?Absorbs it entirelyReflects it back completelyRefracts it without separating colorsDisperses it into its component colors30s
- Q5What is the law of reflection?The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflectionThe angle of incidence and reflection are always 90 degreesThe angle of incidence is greater than the angle of reflectionThe angle of incidence is half of the angle of reflection30s
- Q6Which of the following statements is true about light waves compared to light rays?Light waves can exhibit diffraction and interferenceLight rays can travel through a vacuum, but light waves cannotLight rays communicate energy, while light waves do notLight rays obey the laws of reflection and refraction, whereas light waves do not30s
- Q7What is typically the index of refraction for air?1.331.02.01.530s
- Q8What is the effect of total internal reflection in optical fibers?It allows light to be guided through the fiberIt causes light to scatter out of the fiberIt makes the fibers opaqueIt reduces the speed of light in the fiber30s
- Q9What happens to light when it passes from a medium with a higher index of refraction to a lower index of refraction?It reflects back into the denser mediumIt bends away from the normalIt is absorbed completelyIt bends towards the normal30s
- Q10What is the primary cause of the dispersion of light when it passes through a prism?Different wavelengths of light refract at different anglesThe angle of incidence is alteredAll wavelengths refract equallyLight is absorbed by the prism30s
- Q11What is the phenomenon called when light waves overlap to form a new wave pattern, such that the resulting amplitude is greater than that of the individual waves?Destructive interferenceDiffractionConstructive interferenceRefraction30s
- Q12According to Huygens's principle, how can we describe the propagation of light waves?Light waves travel in straight lines only.Wavefronts can only change direction, not speed.Each point on a wavefront acts as a source of secondary wavelets.All light waves are longitudinal waves.30s
- Q13What occurs when light passes from one medium to another, resulting in a change in its speed and direction?DiffractionRefractionReflectionInterference30s
- Q14What type of interference occurs when two light waves are out of phase, resulting in a decrease in amplitude?Destructive interferenceRefractionConstructive interferenceReflection30s
- Q15What is the bending of light called when it passes through an aperture or around an obstacle?DiffractionReflectionRefractionInterference30s