Reflection & Refraction (Edexcel IGCSE Physics): Revision Note

Reflection & refraction

• All waves, whether transverse or longitudinal, can be reflected and refracted

• Reflection occurs when:

  A wave hits a boundary between two media and does not pass through, but instead stays in the original medium

• In optics the word medium is used to describe a material that transmits light

  • Media means more than one medium

An example of reflection

An identical image of the tree is seen in the water due to reflection

• Refraction occurs when:

  A wave passes a boundary between two different transparent media and undergoes a change in direction

An example of refraction

Waves can change direction when moving between materials with different densities

The law of reflection

• The law of reflection states that:

  Angle of incidence (i) = Angle of reflection (r)

• Angles are measured between the wave direction (ray) and a line at 90 degrees to the boundary called the normal

  • The angle of the wave approaching the boundary is called the angle of incidence (i)

  • The angle of the wave leaving the boundary is called the angle of reflection (r)

An example of reflection in a plane mirror

Ray diagram of the reflection of a wave in a mirror

Ray diagrams

Reflection ray diagrams

• When drawing a ray diagram an arrow is used to show the direction the wave is travelling

  • An incident ray has an arrow pointing towards the boundary

  • A reflected ray has an arrow pointing away from the boundary

A diagram showing the law of reflection

The angle of incidence and angle of reflection are equal in the law of reflection

Refraction ray diagrams

• The direction of the incident and refracted rays are also taken from the normal line

• The change in direction of the refracted ray depends on the difference in density between the two media:

  • From less dense to more dense (e.g air to glass), light bends towards the normal

  • From more dense to less dense (e.g. glass to air), light bends away from the normal

  • When passing along the normal (perpendicular) the light does not bend at all

A diagram of a ray refracted into and out of a glass block

How to construct a ray diagram showing the refraction of light as it passes through a rectangular block

• The change in direction occurs due to the change in speed when travelling in different substances

  • When light passes into a denser substance the rays will slow down, hence they bend towards the normal

• The only properties that change during refraction are speed and wavelength – the frequency of waves does not change

  • Different frequencies account for different colours of light (red has a low frequency, whilst blue has a high frequency)

  • When light refracts, it does not change colour (think of a pencil in a glass of water), therefore, the frequency does not change