Light is a form of energy that travels in the form of waves. It behaves in two main ways when it interacts with surfaces: reflection and refraction.
Reflection of Light:
- Reflection is the bouncing back of light from a surface.
- Law of Reflection: Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection.
- Example: Mirror reflects light to form an image.
Refraction of Light:
- Refraction is the bending of light when it passes from one medium to another.
- The amount of bending depends on the refractive index.
- Example: A straw looks bent in water due to refraction.
Key Differences Between Reflection and Refraction:
- Reflection: Light bounces off a surface.
- Refraction: Light bends when passing through different media.
Practice Questions PDF
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Questions on Light – Reflection and Refraction
Showing 31–60 of 12631.A light ray is incident on a plane mirror at an angle of 40° with the mirror surface. What is the angle of reflection? 32.Explain why a converging lens is sometimes called a "burning glass." 33.The image formed by a mirror is always virtual, erect, and diminished. What type of mirror is it? 34.An object is placed at the focus (F) of a concave mirror. Where is the image formed? 35.What is the angle of deviation when a light ray passes through the center of curvature of a spherical mirror? 36.A diverging lens always produces a virtual image. Where is this image located relative to the lens and object? 37.Why does a fish in water appear shallower than its actual depth? 38.If the refractive index of water is 4/3, and that of glass is 3/2, what is the refractive index of glass with respect to water? 39.An object is placed between the focal point (F) and the center of curvature (C) of a concave mirror. Describe the characteristics of the image formed. 40.Assertion (A): A spherical lens formula is given by 1/f = 1/v - 1/u. Reason (R): All distances for lenses are measured from the optical center. 41.What type of image is formed by a simple camera lens (which is typically a convex lens)? 42.Explain the phenomenon of lateral inversion with respect to a plane mirror. 43.A convex mirror is used as a security mirror in a shop. The owner observes a customer 5 m away, and her image appears to be 1/5th the actual size. Calculate the focal length of the mirror. 44.What is the absolute refractive index of a vacuum? 45.An incident ray passing through the focus of a convex lens will emerge how after refraction? 46.Assertion (A): When an object is placed at 2F of a convex lens, its image is formed at 2F on the other side. Reason (R): The magnification of the image formed when the object is at 2F is -1. 47.The power of a lens is +4.0 D. Is the lens thick or thin compared to a lens of power +2.0 D? Explain. 48.Which type of spherical mirror is used by dentists to see larger images of teeth? 49.A spherical mirror forms a real, inverted image of magnification -1. Where is the object placed relative to the mirror? 50.Why is the focal length of a concave mirror considered negative by convention? 51.An object is placed at a distance of 15 cm from a concave lens of focal length 10 cm. What is the nature of the image formed? 52.A light ray passes from a medium P to a medium Q. If the angle of incidence is 40° and the angle of refraction is 25°, which medium is optically denser? 53.Assertion (A): A ray passing through the optical center of a lens goes undeviated. Reason (R): The optical center is the midpoint of the lens. 54.What is the focal length of a plane mirror? 55.A ray of light traveling in a medium of refractive index n1 strikes the interface of a medium of refractive index n2. If n1 > n2, under what condition can total internal reflection occur? 56.Explain why a virtual image cannot be projected on a screen. 57.A convex lens of focal length 20 cm is placed in contact with a concave lens of focal length 25 cm. What is the nature of the combined lens system? 58.I will proceed to generate the rest of the questions carefully.An object is placed 30 cm from a concave mirror. If the focal length of the mirror is 10 cm, find the position of the image and its nature. 59.Let's use a numerical problem based on image formation properties and mirror formula. An object is placed 30 cm from a concave mirror. If the focal length of the mirror is 10 cm, find the position of the image and its nature. 60.An object is placed 60 cm from a screen. A convex lens is used to form a real image of the object on the screen. If the image is formed at a distance of 40 cm from the object, find the focal length of the lens.