8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
Science:
Science is defined as the observation, identification, description,
experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural
phenomena.
The main three branches of science are;
i. Physics,
ii. Chemistry
iii. Biology.
Physics: the branch of science concerned with the nature and
properties of matter and energy. The subject matter of physics
includes mechanics, heat, light and other radiation, sound,
electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms.
CHAPTER 1
LIGHT
Light: Light is a form of energy. It is a form of electromagnetic
radiation of a wavelength which can be detected by the human eye.
It helps in the sense of vision. When light falls on an object, some of
the light is reflected back to our eyes. Thus, we are able to see an
object because of light being reflected from the object.
Reflection:
The balancing of light from a surface is called reflection.
Or
The bouncing back of light in the same medium after striking an
opaque surface is called reflection.
The amount of light that is reflected depends on the material and
nature of the surface on which light falls;
An opaque body absorbs some of the light that falls on it and
reflects the remaining light.
8th Science – Physics
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A transparent body allows almost all the light to pass through it and
reflects very little light.
A smooth and a highly polished surface such as a shiny stainless
steel surface or a mirror reflect almost all the light that falls on it.
Reflection of light on a plane surface:
A plane polished surface capable of regularly reflecting almost
all the light falling on it is known as a plane mirror.
A ray of light which falls on the mirror is called incident ray.
The ray which is sent back to the original medium is called the
reflected ray.
The perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of
incidence is called the normal.
The angle made by the incident ray with the normal of the point
of incidence is called the angle of incidence.
The angle made by the reflected ray with the normal at the
point of reflection is called angle of reflection.
Laws of Reflection:
When reflection takes place, it follows certain rules which are
known as the laws of reflection.
The laws followed during reflection are as follows-
First law:
The incident ray reflected ray and the normal at the point of
incidence lie in the same plane.
Second law:
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
The angle of incidence is always equal to angle of reflection, that is
<i = <r
Formation of image by a plane mirror
The characteristics of image formed could vary depending on
the type of mirror used.
The characteristics of an image formed by plane mirror are as
follows-
The image formed is erect.
The image is of same size as the object.
The image is laterally inverted, that is, the right appears as the
left side of the image.
The image is as far behind the mirror as the object is in front
of it.
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
The image formed is virtual, that is, it cannot be caught on a
screen
TYPES OF REFLECTION
Reflection of light is of two kinds depending on the nature of the
reflection and diffused or irregular reflection.
Regular reflection:
When the reflecting surface is very well polished and smooth, the
light that falls on it is evenly reflected in only one direction. This
phenomenon is known as regular reflection.
Diffused reflection:
If the reflecting surface is irregular, the ray of light that falls on it
are scattered in all directions. This is called irregular or diffused
reflection.
Multiple reflections:
Take two plane mirrors and place them such that they make an
angle between them. Place an object between the mirrors. You can
see several images in both the mirror. This is because the image
formed by one mirror act as the object for the second mirror. This
phenomenon is referred to as multiple reflections.
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
The number of image formed depends on the angle between the
mirrors.
The number of images formed is found using the formula:
n = (360/A) -1
n = number of images
A= angle between the two mirrors.
Instrument Based on Multiple reflection
Kaleidoscope:
This instrument works on the principle of multiple reflections. It
consists of three plane mirrors inclined at an angle of 60o to each
other.
The arrangement is kept in a cylindrical cardboard base with a few
pieces of coloured glass at one end. The mirrors form multiple
images of these glass pieces, resulting in beautiful pattern when
seen from the other end. On rotating the cylindrical box, the pattern
change continuously as the position of glass piece shifts.
Periscope:
It is another instrument which uses the principle of multiple
reflections. This instrument also needs two plane mirrors that are
placed at an angle of 45? to the vertical. In a periscope mirrors are
placed at a distance from each other. The image formed by one
mirror acts as the object for the other mirror. The main use of
Periscope is in submarines that remain under water.
Refraction of Light:
The change of direction of light rays when they pass from one
optical medium into another is called refraction of light.
A transparent substance is called optical medium.
There are certain rules that are followed by light during
refraction.
When light travels from a rarer (eg. Air) to a denser (eg. Glass)
medium it bends towards the normal.
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
When light travels from a denser to a rarer medium, it bends
away from the normal.
When light travel along the normal there is no deviation that is
the ray suffers no refraction.
Refraction of light through a Prism:
A prism is a transparent solid body, often having triangular bases.
When three rectangular surface that it forms two triangular faces at
opposite ends, they form prism. The triangular faces are called the
principal faces of the prism.
Dispersion:
The splitting up of light into its constituent colours is called
dispersion. Sunlight is a mixture of light of several colours. It
is known as white light. When white light passes through a
prism, dispersion takes place because rays of different colours
are deviated through different angles by a prism. Violet is
deviated the most and red the least.
The band of colours obtain because of dispersion of light is
called a spectrum.
The spectrum of sunlight consists of violet, indigo, blue, green,
yellow, orange and red.
Rainbow:
The rainbow is a very beautiful natural spectrum on a large scale. It
is formed in the direction opposite to the sun. When there is
moisture in the air the tiny droplets of water acts as prisms and
disperse sunlight.
Human Eye:
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
The eye is natural optical instrument that forms an image of objects
on a screen called the retina. The human eye is almost spherical in shape.
Following are the main structures in the human eye.
Cornea: The eyeball is covered with a tough layer. This layer is
transparent on the front. This transparent portion is called cornea.
Iris: Iris is a thin circular structure. It works like the shutter of a
camera. It controls the amount of light entering the eye. The colour
of iris imparts distinct colour to the eyes of an individual. A person
with blue iris has blue eyes.
Pupil: There is a hole in the centre of iris. This is called pupil. Light
enters the eye through the pupil. When the light is bright, iris
contracts and thus allows less light into the eye. When the light is
dim, iris dilates and thus allows more light into the eye.
Lens: Lens is present behind the pupil. The lens in the human eye is
a convex lens. The size and thickness of the lens change as per the
distance of an object.
Retina: Retina is at the back of the eye and marks the inner layer of
the eyeball. Images are formed on the retina and thus it works like a
screen. There are photosensitive cells in the retina. These cells are
of two types, which are as follows:
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Cone Cells: The cone cells are sensitive to bright light. They also
give the sense of colour.
Rod Cells: The rod cells are sensitive to dim light.
Optic Nerve: The optic nerve emerges from the back of the eye ball.
This nerve goes to the brain.
Blind Spot: The junction of retina and the optic nerve is called the
blind spot. There is no photosensitive cell at this spot, and hence no
image is formed at this spot on the retina.
Power of accommodation of Eye:
The ciliary muscles alter the thickness of the lens enabling the
eye to see far and near objects equally clearly.
The ability of eye to adjust itself to see objects at different
distances clearly is called the power of accommodation of the
eye.
The least distance at which eye can clearly see an object is
called the near point or the least distance of distinct vision.
The far point of the eye is the maximum distance to which the
eye can see. For a normal eye it is at infinity.
Persistence of Vision:
An image stays on the retina for about 1/10 to 1/16 of a second. This
feature is called persistence of vision. Due to this, when many still
images are shown in a sequence; they give the illusion of moving
images. Movies and animation are made by exploiting this property
of the human eye.
Defects of vision and their correction
The two common \defects of the eye are short- sightedness or
myopia, and long – sightedness or hyper- metropia or hyperopia.
1. Myopia (Short – sightedness)
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
Myopia is a defect of the eye in which distant objects cannot
be seen clearly but nearby objects can be seen clearly.
To correct this defect, a diverging or concave lens is used to
create an extra divergence so that the images get formed on
the retina.
2. Hypermetropia (Long- sightedness)
Hypermetropia is a defect of the eye in which distant objects
can be seen clearly by the eye but nearby objects cannot be
seen distinctly.
This defect is because the focal length of the eye lens too
long or the eyeball is too short. As a result, nearby objects are
brought to focus at a point behind the retina.
The defect of Hypermatropia may be corrected by using a
converse or converging lens since the rays require an extra
convergence to meet at a lesser distance.
3. Cataract:
This is another defect of the eye generally occurring at old
eye. In a person suffering from cataract, the eye lens becomes
cloudy leading to loss of vision.
Cataract can be treated by surgically removing the eye lens
and inserting in its place a new artificial lens.
Braille System:
The Braille system is a method of writing for the blind.
It uses six raised dots. The positions of different dots
represent the different letters of the alphabet.
Visually challenged people can read them by feeling them
with their fingers. The method was developed by Louis Braille
of Paris.
Eye care:
8th Science – Physics
LIGHT
A diet rich in Vitamin A, selenium and vitamin C and E help to
maintain good eyesight and to prevent to delay development of
cataract.
Do not read in very dim or very bright light; avoid reading in a
moving vehicle.
Avoid watching TV or working on a computer for long
sessions.
