 In the figure given below, path of a parallel beam of light passing through a

convex lens of refraction index  g kept in a medium of refractive index  m is

shown. Is (I)  g = m or (ii)  g >  m or (iii)  g< m?
g < m

 A converging and a diverging lens of

equal focal lengths are placed coaxially in
contact. Find the focal length and
power of the combination.
1 1 1 1 1 1
  0 F    Hence P   0
F f f 0 F 

 Two lenses having focal lengths f1 and f2 are placed in contact. What is the focal
length of the combination?
1 1 1
 
F f1 f 2

 Two lenses having focal lengths f1 and f2 are placed co-axially at a distance x from
each other. What is focal length of the combination?
1 1 1 x
  
F f1 f 2 f1 f 2

 What do you mean by spherical aberration of lens?

Spherical aberration of a lens is defined as its inability to focus a parallel beam of light falling on it at a
single point.

 Can spherical aberration of lens be completely eliminated?

Spherical aberration can be reduced but it cannot be eliminated completely.

 An object is placed at the focus of a concave lens. Where will be its image
formed?
Same side of the object.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS.

 What do you mean by refraction of light? State laws of refraction.

 Distinguish between absolute and relative refractive index of the medium.

 What do you understand by lateral shift? A ray of light incident on a glass slab of
thickness t at an angle i. What is lateral shift of the ray of light.

 A pencil dipped in water appears bent. Explain why?

 A person watching a fish from the side of a container sees two images of a fish.
Explain why?

 A stone at the bottom of a water tank appears to be raised. Why?

 What is total internal reflection? Under what conditions does it take place? State
two conditions for producing total internal reflection.
 How optical fibre transmit light without significant absorption?

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  What are optical fibres? How are light without waves propagated in them?

 What is total internal reflection ? state the necessary conditions for it.

 Derive the relation between refractive index of a medium and its critical angle.
Or What is critical angle? Find critical angle for glass with respect to air.

 Total reflecting prisms are used in binoculars and periscopes. Explain why?
So that the image is bright and free from aberrations.

 Why the diamond is brilliant? Is it a source of light also?

 What is a mirage? Explain it.

 What are optical fibres? Give one use of optical fibres.

 What is critical angle? Give one application of total internal reflections.

 A convex lens of focal length 20 cm is immersed in water of refractive index 4/3.

What is the focal length of lens in water?

 A convex lens of refractive index 1.5 is immersed in carbon –disulphide of

refractive index 1.65. What will be the nature of the lens in the carbon disulphide?

1  g  1 1 
  1   Since CS2 > g, so f becomes negative. Hence the lens in carbon disulphide


f   CS 2 
 R1 R 2 
behaves as a divergent lens.

 What is spherical aberration of a lens? How can it be minimised?

 What are the new sign conventions used in optics?

 If the wavelength of incident light on convex lens is increased, how will the focal
length change?
1  1 1  c c
Focal length,     1    and   
f  R1 R2  v  f

 A thin converging lens has focal length f, when illuminated by violet light. State
with reason, how the focal length of a lens will change, if violet light is replaced
by red light.
1 1
For a lens, f   f 
 
As the wavelength of red light is more than the wave length of violet light, therefore, focal length of lens
will increase if violet light is replaced by red light.

 Deduce the expression for the focal length of a combination of two thin convex
lenses.

 Define total internal reflection. State its two conditions.

 What is the power of a lens? What is one dipotre?

 Prove refractive index  = 1/sin C where C is critical angle.

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  Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of the image of an object placed
1 1 1
beyond 2F ffrom a convex lens. Hence prove v  u  f for this condition.

DISPERATION, SPECTRA AND SCATTERING.

 Explain why while light is dispersed, when passing through a prism?

The derivation produces by the prism to the incident ray of light is given by  =( -1) A
Which depends on the refractive index of the material of the prism. According to Cauchy’s relation
B
  A  2 . Clearly,  depends upon the wavelength of the incident light. Since white light consists of

different colours i.e., different wavelengths, so  is different for different colours. Hence, all colours
constituting white passing through the prism. This causes the dispersion of light through the prism.

 How does the ray passes through the prism in the position of minimum
derivation?
In the minimum derivation position, the ray passes through the prism symmetrically i.e., the incident and
emergent rays are equally inclined to the respective faces of the prism.

 A ray of light shows no dispersion on emerging from a glass slab. Explain why?
A ray of light falls on a glass slab, it suffers no derivation but is laterally displaced.
i.e.,  =( -1) A =0 Hence white light is not dispersed when it emerges from the glass slab.

 Explain why white light is not dispersed when passing through a hollow prism?
When white light falls on AB face of the prism, it suffers no derivation as it is like a glass slab and hence
there is no dispersion. Similarly when the refracted light falls on the face AC, again there is no derivation.
Hence white light is not dispersed when passing through a hollow prism.

 For which spectral colours of light is the speed maximum and minimum in glass? What in
vacuum?
c 1
We know, speed of light in glass is given by v Also   v  2
  2

Since  is maximum for red colour and minimum for violet colour, so speed in glass is maximum for red
colour and minimum for violet colour. The speed of every colour is same in vacuum.

 On what factors does the angular dispersion depend?

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Angular dispersion is given by   (  v   r ) A and  
2
thus, angular dispersion depends on(I) the refracting angle (A) of the prism, (ii) the nature of the material
of the prism () and (iii) the wavelength of the incident light.

 Show that the limiting value of the angle of the prism is two times its critical angle.
In case of prism, we have A = r1 + r2 the angle A will be maximum i.e., A will have limiting value if r1 and
r2 are maximum. I.e., Amax = (r1)max + (r2)max Now r1 = (r1)max if I= 900(maximum)
0
When I = 90 , (r1)max = c, critical angle Also, (r1) max = c Hence Amax = c + c =2c.

 We have two prisms, one is made of crown glass and other one is made of flint glass. How
will you distinguish between them?
Dispersive power of flint glass prism is more than that of crown glass prism. When white light is allowed
to pass through both the prisms, the flint glass prism will show more spreading of the constituent colours
than the crown glass prism. So we can distinguish between them by observing the spreading of
constituent colours as shown in figure.

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  Two prisms are made of materials having refractive indices 1.50 and 1.54
respectively. If the angle of the prism having refractive index 1.50 is 400, what is
the angle of second prism placed in opposite manner with the first one to produce
dispersion without derivation?
When two prisms are oppositely placed to produce dispersion without derivation, then

A (   1) (   1) (1.50  1) x 40  0.54 x 40 
  A  A =  37 
A (    1) 
(   1) (1.54  1) 0. 54

 On what factors does the dispersive power of a material depend?

v  r 1
Dispersive power of the material is given by   and  2 So dispersive power depends upon
(   1) 
(I) the nature of the material and (ii) the wavelengths of the incident light.

 Do materials always have the same colour whether viewed by reflected light or
through transmitted light?
No. it depends upon which colour is strongly reflected and which one is strongly transmitted. A material
may reflect one colour strongly and transmit the other colour strongly.

 A welder wears a mask while welding. Explain why?

Ultra – violet light is emitted by the welding arc which is very harmful to the human eyes. The mask
absorbs this light and protects the eyes of the welder.

 We prefer to wear light coloured clothes during summer and dark coloured
clothes during winter. Explain why?
Light coloured clothes reflect most of the light and heat radiations falling on them. While the dark
coloured clothes absorb mostly the light and heat radiations falling on them. That is why people prefer to
wear light coloured clothes during summer and dark coloured clothes during winter.

 Why does sky looks blue? What will it look like on moon?
When white light from sun enters the atmosphere, it is scattered. The intensity of the scattered light
1
 4

Since blue colour has small wavelength, so its scattering is much more then the red colour which has
large wavelength. Because of large scattering of blue colour, sky looks blue.

 Our eye is more sensitive to yellow colour but even then danger signals are red in
colour. Explain why?
An object is seen only when the light illuminating it is reflected and reach our eye. We know, Intensity of
1
scattering of light  4 . Since yellow colour has small wavelength than red colour, so scattering of

yellow colour is more than the red colour. It means the signal is illuminated more brightly by the red
colour than the yellow colour. Hence red signal can be seen easily from a longer distance. That is why
danger signals are red in colour.

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Show the formation of virtual image of point object by a prism.

The emergent rays in the shown figure are divergent so they appear to meet to give virtual image I of the

object O.

Why no emergent ray is obtained for a 900 crown glass prism?

Critical angle of the material of this prism i.e., crown glass and air is about 42 0. For emergence of a ray
through this prism, the limiting angle becomes 2x 420 = 840 so on emergent ray is obtained for a 900
crown glass prism.

What do you understand by normal incidence on a symmetrical prism? Trace the path of a ray of
light in this situation, when material of prism is glass.
A prism having all angles of 600 each is called a symmetrical prism. A ray of light falling at 90 0 to a
refracting face of the prism is said to have normal incidence on the prism. Path of a ray having normal
incidence on a symmetrical glass prism is shown below:
Since critical angle for glass is about 420, the incidence at O being 600 i.e., more than the critical angle,
the phenomenon of total internal reflection takes place. The emergent ray therefore meets the base
normally and finally comes out.

‘Prism is not source of colours’ Comment.

A prism splits while light into colours which are already present in the white light. A prism does not
produce colours so it is not a source of colours. This fact can be proved with the help of a simple
experiment. The set up required for this purpose is shown in the figure given below.

Prism 1 splits white light into VIBGYOR spectrum. The narrow slit ensures the passing through of light of
one colour only. Different colours can be passed one by one by rotating the prism 1. It is observed that
second prism gives out the same one colour only which can be taken on a screen i.e., no spectrum is
given by this prism. For example, yellow colour coming from the slit and falling on the prism 2 gets
deviated but remains yellow in colour when emerging out of the prism. This experiment proves that prism
is not the source of colours i.e., it does not produce colours.

Why do the colours of metallic sheets changes when viewed by reflected and transmitted light?
Support your answer with an example .
The colours of metallic sheets change when viewed
by transmitted light and reflected light because of
selective reflection of colour by them. In white
light a thin gold foil appears radish yellow or orangish

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but in transmitted light it appears bluish green because a thin gold foil reflects red, orange and yellow
colours in large amount and thus transmits green, blue and violet colours in larger proportions.

VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Draw the diagram of the path of a ray of light suffering minimum derivation while passing through

prism.

Plot a graph to show the variation of the angle of derivation as a function of angle of incidence for
light rays passing through the prism.