Optics
SOME IMPORTANT TERMS RELATED TO SPHERICAL
MIRRORS
CENTRE OF CURVATURE (C):
The centre of curvature of a spherical mirror is the centre of the
imaginary hollow sphere of glass, of which the spherical mirror is a part.
The centre of curvature is usually denoted by the letter C. The centre of
curvature of a concave mirror is in front of it and the centre of curvature
of convex mirror is behind the mirrors as shown in the figure.
RADIUS OF CURVATURE (R):
The radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is the radius of the
imaginary hollow sphere of glass, of which the spherical mirror is a part.
The radius of curvature is usually denoted by the letter ‘R’.
In figure above the distance PC is the radius of curvature of a concave
mirror and in figure (b) the distance PC is the radius of curvature of a
convex mirror.
POLE (P) :
The centre of the reflecting surface of a spherical mirror is called its
pole. It is usually denoted by the letter ‘P’ in each concave and convex
mirror. The pole of a spherical mirror lies on the surface of the mirror.
PRINCIPAL AXIS:
The principal axis of a spherical mirror is the straight line passing
through the centre of curvature C and pole P of a spherical mirror,
produced on both sides.
APERTURE:
The portion of a mirror from which the reflection of light actually takes
place is called the aperture of the mirror. It is also called linear aperture
of the mirror. The aperture of a spherical mirror is denoted by the
diameter of its reflecting surface.
In fact the aperture of a mirror represents the size of the mirror.
FOCAL PLANE:
A plane passing through the principal focus and at right angles to the
principal axis of a spherical mirror is called its focal plane.
FOCAL LENGTH:
The distance between the pole and the focus is called the focal length.
The focal length is half the radius of curvature.
Some applications of spherical mirror:
Uses of Concave Mirror
Shaving Mirror
when a concave mirror is held near the face such that the face is between
the pole and the focus of the concave mirror, the mirror forms an upright
and magnified image. So even the tiny hairs on the face can easily be
seen. For this a concave mirror of large focal length (so that the face
always lie between its focus and the pole) and large aperture (so as to
view the entire face) is used.
Doctor's Mirror
If a parallel beam of light is incident on a concave mirror, it is focuses
the beam of light to a point. This fact enables us to use it as a doctor's
head mirror to concentrate the beam of light on a small area of the body
part to be examined such as teeth, nose, throat and ear etc.
For this a parallel beam of light is made to fall on the concave mirror
attached to the band tied at the fore head of doctor examining the body
part.
Head lights
In torch light, search light and head lights of the vehicles a concave
highly polished metallic surface is used as a reflector to obtain a parallel
beam of light to focus at the longer distance.
For this, the source of light (i.e., bulb) is placed at the focus of the
concave reflector (mirror). The rays of light incident on the concave
reflector from the bulb after reflection from a parallel beam.
Uses of Convex Mirror
Street Lamp
A convex polished metallic surface is used in street lamp as a reflector
so as to diverge light over a larger area.
Rear View Mirror
Convex mirrors are used as rear view mirrors in vehicles.
A driver prefers to use a convex mirror as a rear view mirror because of
the following two reasons
i. A convex mirror always produces an erect image of the objects.
ii. The image formed in a convex mirror is highly diminished or much
smaller than the object, due to which a convex mirror gives a wide
field of view of the traffic behind.
Shop Security Mirrors
By placing a big convex mirror at a strategic point in the shop, the shop
owner or the manager can keep an eye on the customers to look for
thieves and shop lifters among them.
Formula for magnification:
The formula for magnification (M) is generally expressed as the
ratio of the image height (h') to the object height (h), or M =
h'/h. alternatively, for mirrors and lenses, magnification can also
be expressed as the negative ratio of image distance (v) to object
distance (u), or M =-v/u.
Mirror formula:
The mirror formula is a mathematical relationship that
describes how the object distance (u), image distance (v),
and focal length (f) of a spherical mirror are related. The
formula is: 1/f = 1/v + 1/u. This equation applies to both
concave and convex mirrors.
Short note on optical instruments:
1. Eye
The Sclera is a protective shield that covers the white area of the eye that
is visible from the outside. The iris is the visible circular region of the
eye that varies in colour from person to person, and the pupil is the
central component of the iris. The iris regulates the amount of light that
enters the pupil and alters the pupil size accordingly.
For example, when one is out in the sun, the pupil contracts and shrinks
to allow little amounts of light through, but when one is indoors, the
opposite occurs.
The light entering the pupil is directed to the retina, which contains rods
and cones that detect colour. The cornea first refracts the light entering
the eye, then incidentally on the iris. The lens is located directly behind
the iris and creates images that shape our perception of the world.
2. Multiple Lenses:
Many pieces of equipment, such as telescopes and microscopes, create
images by combining many lenses. When a system with several lenses is
examined, it is discovered that it operates in stages, with each lens
forming a picture of the item. The original object serves as the subject of
the first lens, resulting in the creation of an image.
The original object serves as the subject of the first lens, resulting in the
creation of an image. The second lens will focus on this new image, and
so on.
3. Microscope:
Two converging lenses are used in a microscope that allow better
magnification. One lens magnifies 5 times more, while a second
magnifies 7 times more, giving you an overall magnification of 35,
which is impossible to achieve with only one lens. It’s a far simpler
technique than using a single lens to magnify by a factor of 35.
The image serves as the object for the second lens, and the image
created by the second lens is the image you’d see if you looked through
the microscope.
A Simple Microscope
The simple microscope is another optical tool whose primary purpose is
to allow us to see small objects. A basic microscope consists of a convex
lens that allows us to magnify small objects. As a result, an erect or
virtual picture is generated when it is held near the eye.
A Compound Microscope
A compound microscope gets its name from the fact that it uses two
convex lenses to see extremely minute things such as bacteria. An
eyepiece, an objective lens, and an adjective screw make up this device.
It allows users to change the focal length depending on what they’re
looking at.
4. Telescopes:
As we use a telescope to view an item from a great distance away, it
must have at least two lenses. The first lens creates a smaller image that
is closer to the focus point. This gadget is constructed in such a manner
that the true and inverted picture created by the first lens is only slightly
closer to the focal length of the second lens.
With the aid of a magnifying lens, we can obtain a virtual expanded
image. However, this isn’t a big deal in an astronomical telescope in
normal adjustment. When looking at an object on the ground, we
normally prefer a straight view acquired with the third lens. For those
who don’t know, the magnifying power of an astronomical telescope is
around 8.
Reflecting and refracting are the two main types of the telescope-
A reflecting telescope does not utilize a lens to concentrate light.
Instead, it uses concave mirrors.
A refracting telescope is an astronomical telescope in normal adjustment
that can focus light through two lenses and magnify the target to make it
appear closer than it is. Convex lenses are employed in refracting
telescopes because they bend light inwards.
