Chapter 28 Reflection and Refraction Flashcards
Reflection
The return of light rays from a surface.
Refraction
The bending of an oblique ray of light when it passes from one transparent medium to another.
Fermat’s principle of least time
Light takes the path that requires the least time when it goes from one place to another.
Law of reflection
The angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence.
Diffuse reflection
Reflection in irregular directions from an irregular surface.
Critical angle
The minimum angle of incidence inside a medium at which a light ray is totally reflected.
Total internal reflection
The total reflection of light traveling within a denser medium when it strikes the boundary with a less dense medium at an angle greater than the critical angle.
Converging lens
A lens that is thicker in the middle than at the edges and that refracts parallel rays to a focus.
Diverging lens
A lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges, causing parallel rays to diverge as if from a point.
Virtual image
An image formed by light rays that do not converge at the location of the image.
Real image
An image formed by light rays that converge at the location of the image. A real image, unlike a virtual image, can be displayed on a screen.
Aberration
Distortion in an image produced by a lens, which to some degree is present in all optical systems.
