Refraction through plane surfaces: Very very important questions

Question 2: Name the phenomenon responsible in the following cases:(i)

Apparent bending of a stick in water (ii) Twinkling of stars.
Answer: (i) Refraction of light. (ii) Refraction of light.

Question 3: Why do the faces of persons sitting around camp fire appear
to shimmer?
Answer: The rays coming from the face of person, sitting across the camp
fire, suffer refraction on passing through hot air. Thus, we see apparent
image of person. Since hot air is in motion, therefore its optical density
changes, which in turn shifts the image rapidly. This rapidly shifting image
gives a shimmering effect.

Question 4: Why does a fisherman aim at the tail of fish during spear
fishing?
Answer: Due to refraction, when the rays travel from water to air, the
apparent image of the fish is formed at a higher level and ahead of the
actual position of fish. Thus, when the fisherman aims at the tail of the
apparent image of fish, his spear hits the head of actual fish.

Question 5: During sunset and sunrise, the sun is seen when it is slightly
below the horizon. Give reason.
Light rays from sun while coming towards earth suffers successive
refractions from a rarer to a denser medium and so it bends towards the
normal at each refraction. These rays on earth appear to be coming from
an apparent position of sun which is higher than its actual position. Thus,
the sun is seen even when it is slightly below the horizon during sunset
and sunrise.

Question 6: Why upper surface of water contained in a beaker and above

eye level appears silvery?
Answer: Critical angle for water is 49°. The rays of light entering in water
from below, suffer refraction. If these rays strike the water-air surface at
an angle which is greater than 48°, they get totally internally reflected.
These rays on emerging out of water, appear to came from the upper
surface of water, which in turn appears silvery.

Question 7: Glass is transparent in nature. Why does glass powder look

opaque? When water is poured over it, it again becomes transparent.
Why?
Answer: In case of powdered glass, irregular reflection takes place from
various particles. Thus, light is sent back into the same medium.
Therefore, it looks opaque. On putting water over the powder incident
light gets refracted through water. That is why it looks transparent.

Question 8: (i) A ray of light passes from water to air. How does the
speed of light change? (ii) Which colour of light travels fastest in any
medium except air?
Answer: (i) When light passes from water to air i.e., from denser to rarer
its speed increases. (ii) Red light travels fastest.

Question 9: Why is the colour red used as a sign of danger?

Answer: Red colour is used as sign of danger due to its greater
wavelength and lesser deviation(scattering).

Question 10: Does the depth of a tank of water appear to change or

remain the same when viewed normally from above?
Answer: Depth of the tank remains the same when viewed normally from
above.

Question 11: Mention one difference between reflection of light from a

plane mirror and total internal reflection of light from a prism.
Answer: In reflection of light from a plane mirror. Light reflect partially,
some part reflect and transmit also. In total internal reflection through a
prism there occurs 100% reflection of light.

Question 12: Name one main factor on which the direction of bending of a
ray of light depends.
Answer: It mainly depends upon the optical density of the two media
through which a ray of lighttravels.

Question 13: How does a ray of light bend when it travels from:(i) Rarer to
denser medium. (ii) Denser to rarer medium.(iii) When it is normal to the
interface of the two media.
Answer: (i) When a ray of light travels from rarer to denser medium it
bends towards the normal.(ii) When a ray of light travels from denser to
rarer medium it bends away from the normal.(iii) The ray goes straight
into second medium without any bending.

Question 14: What is the principle of reversibility of light?

Answer: According to the principle of reversibility the path of light ray is
reversible.

Question 15: A fish swimming in a pond seems nearer than it really is.
Explain.
Answer: This is because a light ray coming from the fish inside water
when suffers refraction at the water-air interface, it bends away from the
normal at the point of incidence. The refracted ray appears to be coming
from a point at a depth less than the actual depth of the fish. That is why,
the fish seems to be nearer than it really is.

Question 16: Why do diamonds sparkle?

Answer: Critical angle for diamond is quite less and is only 24°. Besides
this diamonds are cut very sharp, making large number of refracting
surface. Hence when a ray of light enters a diamond, it suffers a series of
total internal reflections on account of very small critical angle. This
makes a ray of light literally trapped within the diamond for a little time
and this trapped light energy makes a diamond sparkle

Question 17: Can light be ‘piped’ like sound in a doctor’s stethoscope?

Answer: Yes, light can be piped from one end to the other with little loss
by allowing it to enter one end of a rod of transparent material. The light
will undergo total internal reflection at the wall of the rod and will proceed
along its axis. This actually being achieved by using a bundle of glass
fibres

Question 19: A glass slab is placed over a page on which the word
VIBGYOR is printed with each letter in its corresponding colour.(i) Will the
image of all the letters be in the same place?(ii) If not, state which letter
will be raised to the maximum. Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: The image of all the letters of the word VIBGYOR in their
corresponding colours will not be at the same place. In glass, red colour
has the higher speed than violet colour, so red will be raised to the
maximum while violet will be at the bottom and the other colours will be
raised in the order I-B-G-Y and orange

Question 33: Explain briefly what causes the twinkling of stars at night.
Answer: Stars are very far from us. The light ray coming from a star
undergoes successive refractions on entering earth’s atmosphere and
bends towards the normal. Hence, an apparent image of the star is seen.
Simultaneously due to movement of air the refractive index of layers of
atmosphere keep on changing, i.e., the apparent position of star keeps
changing. Thus, the star appears to twinkle

Question 36: Why does sun appear bigger during sunset or sunrise?
Answer: During sunset or sunrise, the rays of light from sun travel through
a long distance through air. Thus, the apparent image of sun is formed
closer to eye, which in turn appears bigger.

Question 37: (i) Name a prism required for obtaining a spectrum of

ultraviolet light.(ii) Name the radiation’s which can be detected by a
thermopile.
Answer: (i) Quartz prism (ii) Heat radiation.

Question 38: What is total reflecting prism? Name two instruments in

which it is used.
Answer: A total reflecting prism is a right-angled prism made of glass with
other two angles each equal to 45°. It is used in (i) periscope and (ii)
binoculars.

Question 39: State two advantages of using right angle prism as a

reflector, rather than a plane mirror.
Answer: (i) There is no absorption of light in a prism and hence image is
brighter.(ii) Image is sharper in case of prism.

Question 40: State three actions that a total reflecting prism can produce.
Answer: (i) A total reflecting prism can deviate the path of a ray of light by
90°.(ii) A total reflecting prism can turn a ray of light through 180°.(iii) A
total reflecting prism can invert the rays of light.

Question 41: In what condition a prism is said to be in the position of

minimum deviation? What is the direction of the refracted ray inside the
prism in this condition?
Answer: A prism is said to be in the position of minimum deviation when
the angle of incidence of the light ray at the first prism surface is equal to
the angle of emergence at the second surface of prism. In this condition,
the refracted ray inside the prism is parallel to the base of the prism (if the
prism is equilateral).

Question 42: How does the angle of deviation produced by a prism

depend on the colour of light used? Which colour of white light is deviated
(i) most, (ii) least, by a prism?
Answer: The angle of deviation produced by a prism increases with the
decrease in wavelength of thelight used.(i) Violet light is deviated most by
a prism.(ii) Red light is deviated least by a prism.

Question 43: Images formed by totally reflecting prisms are brighter than
the image formed by ordinary reflected light, why?
Answer: This is because, in total internal reflection 100% of incident light
gets reflected. On the other hand, in ordinary reflection, 20% to 30% of
incident light is lost. So, images formed in the first case are brighter than
the images formed in the second case

Question 50: You are provided with a printed piece of paper. Using this
paper how will you differentiate between a convex lens and a concave
lens?
Answer: First we place the lens on a piece of printed paper. Then we lift it
slowly. If the words of the printed paper, seen through the lens becomes
bigger than it is convex lens otherwise concave lens