FORM THREE PHYSICS STUDY NOTES TOPIC 3:LIGHT & TOPIC 4: OPTICALINSTRUMENT


FORM THREE PHYSICS STUDY NOTES TOPIC 3:LIGHT & TOPIC 4: OPTICAL INSTRUMENT
TOPIC 3: LIGHT

Centre of curvature (C):the centre of the sphere of which a mirror is a part of.
Radius of curvature (R): the radius of sphere of which a mirror is a part of.
Pole (P): the central point of the reflecting surface of spherical mirror (curved or convex mirror).

Principal axis:the straight line joining the centre of curvature (C) and the pole (P).
Principal focus (F):the point o the principal axis where light rays tend to intersect. This point is between centre of curvature and the pole.
Principal axis:the straight line joining the centre of curvature (C) and the pole (P).
Principal focus (F):the point on the principal axis where light rays tend to intersect. This point is between centre of curvature and the pole.




- The image is between C and F
- The image is smaller than the object
- The image is inverted (upside down)
- The image is real

- The image is formed at C
- The image has the same size as object
- The image is inverted (upside down)
- The image is real.

- The image is real
- The image is large than object
- The image is formed beyond C
- The image is inverted (upside down)
- The image is real
- The image is large than object
- The image is formed beyond
- The image is inverted (upside down)

- The image is formed at infinity (x)
- The image is formed beyond C
- The image is large than object
- The image is Real

- The image is virtual
- The images is upright
- The image is formed behind the mirror
- The image is large than the object
- the image is virtual
- the image is upright
- The image is smaller than object (diminished)
- The image is formed behind the mirror.
- Height of object, Ho = 2cm
- Object distance, U= 8cm
- Radius of curvature, r = 10cm
- Focal length,f =8cm
- Choose suitable scale.
- Say 1cm represents 5cm
- Height of object, Ho = 2cm
- Object distance, U= 2cm
- Focal length, F = 2.5cm

- Driving mirrors
- Shaving mirrors
- Reflectors
Medium | Refractive index (n) |
Diamond | 2.417 |
Ethanol | 1.360 |
Glass (Crown) | 1.520 |
Quartz | 1.553 |
Water (at 20ºC0 | 1.333 |
Air (at stp) | 1.00029 |
- Light must be travelling from a more dense to less dense medium.
- Light must incident at the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle (C).
Used in telecommunications to carry telephone calls over vast distance, without loss of intensity and without interference.
Used in endoscope to view inside a patient body for example inside stomach. Light is carried into the stomach through a bunch of fibres and is reflected into small camera, which then displays a picture on a screen.




- Primary rainbow
- Secondary rainbow


- Primary colour of light
- Secondary colour of light
- Red
- Green
- Blue
Primary color | Secondary color | |
Red + Blue | Magenta | |
Red + Green | Yellow | |
Blue + Green | Cyan |
- Red + Blue+ Green – White light
- Red + Cyan – White light
- Blue + Yellow – White light
- Green + Magenta – White light
- Primary coloured pigment (paints)
- Secondary coloured pigment (paints)
- Magenta + Cyan
- Magenta = ( Blue) + ( Red)
- Cyan = (Blue) + (green)
- Magenta + yellow
- Magenta = (Blue) + (Red)
- Yellow = (Green) + (Red)
- Cyan + yellow
- Cyan = (Blue) + (Green)
- Yellow = (Red) + (Green)
Refraction of Light by Lenses
- A ray parallel to the principal axis passes through or appears to diverge from the principal focus after refraction.
- A ray of light passing through the principal focus of a lens is refracted parallel to the principal axis of the lens.
- A ray of light through the optical center of the lens continues throughundeviated(Not change direction)

- Take a convex lens. Find its approximate focal length in a way described in Activity 11.
- Draw five parallel straight lines, using chalk, on a long Table such that the distance between the successive lines is equal to the focal length of the lens.
- Place the lens on a lens stand. Place it on the central line such that the optical centre of the lens lies just over the line.
- The two lines on either side of the lens correspond to F and 2F of the lens respectively. Mark them with appropriate letters such as 2F1, F1, F2and 2F2, respectively.
- Place a burning candle, far beyond 2F1to the left. Obtain a clear sharp image on a screen on the opposite side of the lens.
- Note down the nature, position and relative size of the image.
- Repeat this Activity by placing object just behind 2F1, between F1and 2F1at F1, between F1and O. Note down and tabulate your observations.
Position of the object | Position of the image | Relative size of the image | Nature of the image |
---|---|---|---|
At infinity | At focus F2 | Highly diminished, point-sized | Real and inverted |
Beyond 2F1 | Between F2and 2F2 | Diminished | Real and inverted |
At 2F1 | At 2F2 | Same size | Real and inverted |
Between F1and 2F1 | Beyond 2F2 | Enlarged | Real and inverted |
At focus F1 | At infinity | Infinitely large or highly enlarged | Real and inverted |
Between focus F1and optical centre O | On the same side of the lens as the object | Enlarged | Virtual and erect |
- Take a concave lens. Place it on a lens stand.
- Place a burning candle on one side of the lens.
- Look through the lens from the other side and observe the image. Try to get the image on a screen, if possible. If not, observe the image directly through the lens.
- Note down the nature, relative size and approximate position of the image.
- Move the candle away from the lens. Note the change in the size of the image. What happens to the size of the image when the candle is placed too far away from the lens.
Position of the object | Position of the image | Relative size of the image | Nature of the image |
---|---|---|---|
At infinity | At focus F1 | Highly diminished, point-sized | Virtual and erect |
Between infinity and optical centre O of the lens | Between focus F1and optical centre O | Diminished | Virtual and erect |
Example 8
FORM THREE PHYSICS STUDY NOTES TOPIC 3:LIGHT & TOPIC 4: OPTICAL INSTRUMENT


The normal district vision
The position of the lens is usually adjusted so that V is about 25cm, which is the shortest distance of distinct vision.
- Focal length, f = 5cm
- Required to find magnification, M


Used to magnify microorganism such as bacteria which cannot be seen by naked eyes.
Used in hospitals widely to detect microorganisms in specimens provided by patients. A specimen is a small amount that is taken for testing. Blood is an example of specimens. In hospitals microscopes can detect parasites such as plasmodium ssp (a causative agent for malaria) in blood specimen.

- I/U + I/V = I/fe = 4cm
- V= -25cmV = -25cm
- I/U – I/25 = ¼
- I/U = (1/4 + 1/25)
- (I/U)-1 = (25 +4) -1/100
- 100U= (100/29)
- M = V/u
- M = (25CM/100/29)
- M = 29/4
- M = Hi/h
- hI = mh
- HI = (29/4) (0.2619)
- HI= 1.90cm
- Telescopes see lots of colours – telescopes can collect light that our eyes are unable to: radio, microwave, infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays.
- Telescopes collect lots of light – our pupils are only a few millimeters across, so we can only collect photons over a tiny area whereas telescopes can collect photons of huge areas (e.g. a football fields worth for radio telescopes).
- Telescopes see fine details because of the wave nature of light and the nerves in our eyes, we can only see details about the same angular size as Jupiter’s width. Telescopes can allow us to resolve fine details – like Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
- Telescopes can record observations with cameras – You can see things with your eye and draw them, but telescopes can share observations with the world! This is especially important for convincing skeptics that what you saw was real!


The slice or film to be projected is inverted and highly illuminated.
The concave mirror helps to concentrate the light which would otherwise be partly wasted.
The lamp is placed at the principal focus of the concave mirror.
The heat filter reduces the heat at falling on the slide or film so as to avoid it overheating.
Since the image of the projection lantern is Highly magnified, it would not be very bright if there was not enough illumination.
The condenser directs a maximum amount of light from the source of the slide and produce uniform illumination the screen. (The condenser is a double in order to reduce chromatic aberration).
The projection lens forms the image of the slide on the screen.
The light source is usually located at a distance of 2f from a condenser and invited so that the image on the screen is upright (erect).
The focal length of the projection lens is ABOUT TWICE THE FOCAL length of the condenser since the screen is usually far from the lens.
- HI is the size of image
- H is the size of object
- U object distance
- V image distance
- v/u =hi/h
- (1200/u)-1 = (100/2) -1
- (u/1200) = (2/100)
- U = (2/100) (1200)
- U = 24cm
Projection of films, slides and transparencies,
projection of opaque objects, i.e. episcopic projection,
used in searchlights and headlights,
used in projection apparatus in industry for gauge and screw thread testing,
used in physical experiments such as projection of a spectrum,
used in polarisation experiments and interference experiments.


The Number Indicates the Number of times the focal length F of times the focal length F of the lens diameter ( or stop)
The smaller the F – Number for a given focal length the larger the lens diameter
The lens with a larger diameter has a greater light- gathering power or speed
This for such a lens the shutter allows light in the camera for a short interval of time.


This defect causes person to see near object clearly while distant objects are not seen clearly.
The strength of the cornea and the eye lens combination is too great even when muscles of the eye are completely relaxed.
The focal length of the cornea and the eye – lens combination is always less than the distance to the retina.
Images of distant object are formed in front of the retina even when eye is totally relaxed. However, an object that is closer can be brought into focus.
In this situation the focal length of the cornea and the eye lens is so short that objects closer than the conventional (near point of 25cm) can be brought into focus. That’s why this condition is called Short sightedness (near sightedness).
Since the problem is that the strength of the eye – lens and the cornea combination is too great, the solution is to provide eye glasses (or contract lenses) with negative lens.
The negative lens weakens the strength of the cornea and eye – lens just enough so that the resulting focal length when the eye muscles are relaxed matches the distance back to the retina so that distant images are now in focused.
The eye glass lenses are negative lenses that means they are thinner in the middle than at the edges.
It is easy to identify this kind of eye glass lenses since acting by themselves they do not form a real image of an object at any distance.

This defect causes a person to see distant objects only and short-distance objects are not seen clearly.
In the person with this condition, the strength of the cornea and the eye-lens combination is too weak when the eye muscles are totally relaxed. So the image of a distant object is formed behind the retina.
The solution in the opposite of myopia. Victims should wear positive eye lenses which strengthen the corner and the eye lens just enough so that the resulting focal length when the eye is relaxed matches the distance to the back of the retina.

This occurs when the focal length for the cornea and the eye’s lens for an object oriented in some direction is not the same as for another located in a perpendicular direction.
The eye can not bring the vertical and horizontal lines in a ‘+’ symbol in sharp focus at the same time. (The axis of differing focal length need not be exactly horizontal and vertical).
The problem is that the cornea of the eye lens is not symmetrical. The solution is to use eye glasses whose lenses are not symmetrical in a complementary way.
The cylindrical lens may be combined with an additional positive or negative lenses.
This condition typically occurs in middle-aged people.
The eye muscles gradually weaken with age, so that the range or accommodation is decreased.
People with this condition cannot bring both near objects and far objects into focus.
The weakening of the eye muscles often causes the focal length of the eye lens to increase as well so that many people of middle age tend to become far sighted.
Since the problem is adequate accommodation, no single lens can correct it and people with this problem usual needs bifocals.
Bifocals are glasses with two different lens strengths, one for near and one for distant objects.
The usual arrangement is that the bottom half of the lens is the near strength and the top half is the far strength.
- excessive curvature of the cornea, or
- elongation of the eyeball.

- the focal length of the eyelens is too great, or
- the eyeball becomes too short, so that light rays from the nearby object, say at point N, cannot be brought to focus on the retina to give a distinct image.
The camera
- The eye and the camera has a have a convex lens which form a real and inverted image of an object.
- The eye and the camera are blackened inside to prevent internal reflection. Rays of light which are not received on the retina or camera film are absorbed by the choroid layer of the eye or the black surface inside the camera.
- The eye can regulate the amount of light that passes through the crystalline lens by using pupil while in a camera the diaphragm regulates light.
- In the eye the image is formed in the retina while in the camera the image is formed on the photographic plate.
- The eye can change the focal length of its lens by the contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscles. In this way the eye can focus objects at different distance. In a camera objects at different distance are focused on by moving the lens forwards and
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