Geometric Optics

Mirrors, lenses, light, and image

formation
Geometric Optics
Understanding images and image
formation, ray model of light, laws of
reflection and refraction, and some
simple geometry and trigonometry
REFLECTION AND REFRACTION AT
A PLANE SURFACE
Reflection and refraction on plane mirrors
Key terms
Anything from which light rays radiate
Object
Anything from which light rays radiate
that has no physical extent
Point object
Real objects with length, width, and
height
Extended objects

Key terms
Specular
reflection
Reflection on a
plane surface where
reflected rays are in
the same directions
Diffused
reflection
Relfection on
a rough
surface
Key terms

Virtual
image
Image formed if
the outgoing rays
dont actually
pass through the
image point
Real image
Image formed if
the outgoing
rays actually
pass through
the image point
Image formation by a Plane mirror
Image formation by a Plane mirror
a diagram that traces the path
that light takes in order for a
person to view a point on the
image of an object
Ray
Diagrams
suggests that in order to view
an image of an object in a
mirror, a person must sight
along a line at the image of the
object.
Line of Sight
Principle
Reflection at a Plane Surface
Image formation by a Plane mirror






V




s
s
M
M
Image formation by a Plane mirror
M is the object and M is the virtual
image
Ray MV is incident normally to the
plane mirror and it returns along its
original path
s= object distance
s= image distance
s=-s
Image formation by a Plane mirror
Sign rules
For the object distance:
When the object is on the same side of the
reflecting or the refracting surface as the
incoming light, s is positive
For the image distance:
When the image is on the same side of the
reflecting or the refracting surface as the
outgoing light, s is positive
Image of an extended object
V





V


s s
y
M M
Q
Q

y
Image of an extended object
Lateral magnification
Ratio of image height to object
height
M=y/y
Image is erect
m for a plane mirror is always +1
Reversed means front-back
dimension is reversed

REFLECTION AT A SPHERICAL
SURFACE
Reflection on Concave and Convex mirrors
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
P P
C
V
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
Radius of curvature R
Center of curvature
The center of the sphere of
which the surface is a part
C
Vertex
The point of the mirror surface
V
Optic axis
CV
IMAGE FORMATION ON
SPHERICAL MIRRORS
Graphical Methods for Mirrors
Graphical Method
Consists of finding the point of
intersection of a few particular rays
that diverge from a point of the object
and are reflected by the mirror
Neglecting aberrations, all rays from
this object point that strike the
mirror will intersect at the same
point
Graphical Method
For this construction, we
always choose an object point
that is not on the optic axis
Consists of four rays we can
usually easily draw, called the
principal rays

Graphical Method
A ray parallel to the axis, after
reflection passes through F of
a concave mirror or appears
to come from the (virtual) F
of a convex mirror
A ray through (or
proceeding toward)
F is reflected
parallel to the axis
A ray along the radius
through or away from C
intersects the surface
normally and is reflected
back along its original path
A ray to V is reflected
forming equal angles
with the optic axis
Object is at F
Object is between F and Vertex
Object is at C
Object is between C and F
Positions of objects for concave
mirrors
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
If dec, i
is nearly
parallel
Rays nearly
parallel or
close to R
Paraxial
rays
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
If inc, P
is close to
V
Image is
smeared
out
Spherical
Aberration
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
F
C
V
s at infinity s= R/2
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
All reflected rays converge on
the image point
Converging mirror
If R is infinite, the mirror
becomes plane
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
The incident parallel
rays converge after
reflecting from the
mirror
They converge at a F
at a distance R/2
from V
F is Focal point,
where the rays are
brought to focus
f is the focal length,
distance from the
vertex to the focal
point
f= R/2
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
F
C
V
s at infinity s= R/2
Reflection at a Concave Mirror
The object
is at the
focal point
s=f=R/2
1/s +1/s= 2/R
1/s=0; s at
infinity
1/s+ 1/s= 1/f
Object image relation, spherical
mirror
Image of an Extended Object
m= y/y
Lateral
magnification
m= y/y= -s/s
Lateral
magnification for
spherical mirrors
Example
A concave mirror forms an image, on a wall
3.00m from the mirror, of the filament of a
headlight lamp 10.0cm in front of the
mirror.
a. What is the radius of curvature and focal
length of the mirror?
b. What is the height of the image if the
height of the object is 5.00mm?
c. R=19.4cm; f= 9.7cm; m= -30.0; y= 150mm
Example
An object, 1cm high, is 20cm from
the vertex of a concave mirror
whose radius of curvature is 50cm.
Compute the position and size of
the image. Is it real or virtual?
Upright or inverted?
s=-100cm; y=5cm, m is pos.,
erect, virtual
Reflection at a Convex Mirror
F
C
s or s at infinity
s or s= R/2
Image formation on spherical
mirrors
Sign rules
For the object distance:
When the object is on the same side
of the reflecting or the refracting
surface as the incoming light, s is
positive; otherwise, it is negative

Image formation on spherical
mirrors
Sign rules
For the image distance:
When the image is on the same side
of the reflecting or the refracting
surface as the outgoing light, s is
positive; otherwise, it is negative

Image formation on spherical
mirrors
Sign rules:
For the radius of curvature of a
spherical surface:
When the center of curvature C is
on the same side as the outgoing
light, the radius of curvature is
positive, otherwise negative
Reflection at a Convex Mirror
The convex side of the spherical
mirror faces the incident light
C is at the opposite side of the
outgoing rays, so R is neg.
All reflected rays diverge from the
same point
Diverging mirror
Reflection at a Convex Mirror
Incoming rays are
parallel to the optic
axis and are not
reflected through F
Incoming rays diverge,
as though they had
come from point F
behind the mirror
F is a virtual focal
point
s is positive, s is
negative
Example
Santa checks himself for soot, using his
reflection in a shiny silvered Christmas tree
ornament 0.750m away. The diameter of
the ornament is 7.20cm. Standard reference
work state that he is a right jolly old elf, so
we estimate his height to be 1.6m. Where
and how tall is the image of Santa formed
by the ornament? Is it erect or inverted?
s= -1.76cm; m= 2.34x10
-2
; y= 3.8cm
REFRACTION AT A SPHERICAL
SURFACE
Refraction at spherical interface
Refraction at a Spherical Surface
V
C
Refraction at a Spherical Surface
n
a
/s + n
b
/s= (n
b
-n
a
)/R
Object-image
relation, spherical
refracting surface
m=y/y= -(n
a
s/n
b
s)
Lateral
magnification,
spherical
refracting surface
n
a
/s + n
b
/s=0
At a plane refracting
surface
Example
A cylindrical glass rod in air has an index of
refraction 1.52. and one end is ground to a
hemispherical surface with radius R=2.00cm.
a.) find the image distance of a small object on
the axis of the rod, 8cm to the left of the vertex.
b.) find the lateral magnification.
n=1.00
s= 11.3cm
m= -0.929
Example
A ray of light in air makes an angle of
incidence of 45 at the surface of a sheet
of ice. The ray is refracted within the ice at
an angle of 30
A. What is the critical angle for the ice?
B. A speck of dirt is embedded 3/4in
below the surface of the ice. What is its
apparent depth when viewed at normal
incidence?

A. crit= 45
B. s= -0.53in or 0.53in below
GRAPHICAL METHOD FOR
LENSES
Biconcave and biconvex thin lenses
Lenses
Lenses
Biconvex
lens;
converging
Biconcave
lens;
diverging
Lenses
Only F is
needed
for the
ray
diagram
Chief ray
through
the center
is
undeviated
Ray parallel is
refracted in such a
way that it goes
through F on
transmission
through the lens
Focal ray is parallel
to the axis of
transmission
For concave lens, the
rays appear to have
passed through F on
the objects side of the
lens
Lenses
An object is placed 30cm from a biconcave lens
with a focal length of 10cm. Determine the
image characteristics graphically.
ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR
THIN LENSES
Lens maker's equation
Equations for thin lenses
1/s + 1/s= 1/f
Object-image
relation, thin
lenses
m=y/y= -s/s
Lateral
magnification,
thin lenses
1/f=(n-1) [(1/R
1
)- (1/R
2
)]
Lensmakers equation
Example
A biconvex lens is made of glass with n
= 1.65 and has radii of curvature
R=R1=R2= 42 cm. Determine its focal
length.
f=32cm
A biconcave lens is made of glass with
n = 1.65 and has radii of curvature
R=R1=R2= 42 cm. What is its focal
length?
f=-32cm
Example
An object is placed 30cm from a biconcave lens
with a focal length of 10cm. Determine the
image characteristics analytically.
s=-7.5cm
m=0.25
Virtual, upright, half the size of the
object