Physics and Math: Light and Optics

Spherical mirrors

have centers and radii of curation, as well as focal points concave mirrors convex mirrors plane mirrors

Conex lenses

are converging systems and can produce real, inverted, images or virtual, upright images.

The EM spectrum

includes, from lowest to highest energy: radio waves microwaves infrared visible light ultraviolet x-rays gamma (γ) rays

Multiple lens system (focal length and power equation)

lenses in contact are a series of lenses with negligible distances between them. These systems behave as a single lens with equivalent focal length. power is the reciprocal of focal length

Power

optometrist describes a lens in terms of its power (P). power is the reciprocal of focal length f= focal length in meters

Lenses

refract light to form images of objects

convex mirrors

Diverging systems and will only produce virtual, upright images.

Physics and Math: Light and Optics

16% AAMC: 4D: How light and sound interact with matter

Plane-polarized light

All of the light rays have electric fields w/ parallel orientation. It is created by passing unpolarized light through a polarizer.

Circularly polarized light

All of the light rays have electric fields with equal intensity but constantly rotating direction. Circularly polarized light is created by exposing unpolarized light to special pigments or filters.

concave mirrors

Converging systems and can produce real, inverted images or virtual, upright images, depending on the placement of the object relative to the focal point.

Concaves lenses

Diverging systems and will only produce virtual, upright images

What wave phenomenon do diffraction fringes result from?

Fringes result from constructive and destructive interference between light rays

Why are light waves transverse?

Light waves are transverse because the direction of propagation is perpendicular to the direction of oscillation.

Total internal reflection

Occurs when light cannot be refracted out of a medium and is instead reflected back inside the medium.

Interference supports which theory?

The wave theory of light states that light consists of a series of waves rather than individual particles

How does the application of a polarized filter impact the wavelength of light passing through the filter?

Plane polarization has no effect on the wavelength (or frequency or speed) of light. Polarization does affect the amount of light passing through a medium and light intensity.

plane mirrors

Produce virtual, upright images: these images are always the same size as the object. They may be thought of as spherical mirror with infinite radii of curvature.

Young's double slit experiment

Shows the constructive and destructive interference of waves that occur as light passes through parallel slits, resulting in minima (dark fringes) and maxima (bright fringes) of intensity

Snell's Law (law of refraction)

States that there is an inverse relationship between the index of refraction and the sin angle of the refraction (measured from the normal). The angle of refraction will be smaller than the incident angle.

Aberration (spherical or chromatic)

The alternation or distortion of an image as a result of an imperfection in the optical system

The amount of refraction depends on what?

The amount of refraction depends on the wavelength of the light involved; this behavior causes dispersion of light through a prism.

Diffraction

The bending and spreading out of light waves as they pass through a narrow slit. Diffraction may produce a large central light fringe surrounded by alternating light and dark fringes with the addition of a lens

Refraction

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. The speed of light changes depending on index or refraction of the medium. This speed change causes refection

Dispersion

The tendency for different wavelengths of light to experience different degrees of refraction in a medium, leading to separation of light into the visible spectrum (a rainbow).

How does double-slit diffraction and interference differ from single-slit diffraction?

The image formed during double-slit diffraction contains fringes because light rays constructively and destructively interfere. A single slit forms an image of a wide band of light, spread out from its original beam.

Lenses with a non-negligible thickness require use of?

The lensmaker's equation n= index of refraction of lens material r1= radius of curvature of thefirst lens surface r2= radius of curvature of second lens surface

Critical angle

The minimum incident angle at which total internal reflection occurs.

Electromagnetic spectrum

The range of frequencies and wavelengths found in EM waves

Reflection

The rebounding of indecent light waves at the boundary of a medium.

Electromagnetic waves

Transverse waves that consist of an oscillating electric field and an oscillating magnetic field.

When does total internal reflection occur?

When light moves from a medium with a higher index of refraction to a medium with a lower index of refraction with a high incident angle.

Positions of dark fringes in slit-lens setup

a sin θ = nλ

Speed of light from frequency and wavelength equation

c= f λ

Optics equation

f: focal length; distance between the focal point and the mirror o: distance between the object and mirror i: distance between image and mirror r: radius of curvature; distance between C and the mirror

Thin symmetrical lenses have

focal points on each side

Visible spectrum

runs from approximately 400 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red) 4*10¹⁴ Hz to 8*10¹⁴ Hz 1 meter = 1 x 10⁹

Law of reflection

states that the incident angle will equal the angle of reflection, as measured from the normal.