Outline

22.1 Spherical mirrors

22.2 Refraction at spherical surfaces
22.3 Thin lenses

F. OPTICS
22. Geometrical optics

Objectives
(a) use the relationship f = r/2 for spherical mirrors
(b) draw ray diagrams to show the formation of

images by concave mirrors and convex mirrors

(c) use the formula 1/f = 1/u + 1/v for spherical mirrors
(d) use the formula n1/u + n2/v = (n2-n2)/r for

Introduction

refraction at spherical surface

(e) use the formula n1/u + n2/v = (n2-n2)/r to derive
thin lens formula 1/u + 1/v = 1/f and lens
formula 1/f = (n-1)(1/r1 - 1/r2)
(f) use the thin lens formula and lens
equation.

Geometrical Optics
In describing the propagation
of light as a wave we need to
understand:
wavefronts: a surface passing
through points of a wave
that have the same phase.
rays: a ray describes the
direction of wave
propagation. A ray is a
vector perpendicular to the
wavefront.

Light Rays
The propagation of the
wavefronts can be
described by light rays.
In free space, the light
rays travel in straight
lines, perpendicular to
the wavefronts.

Wavefronts
We can chose to
associate the wavefronts
with the instantaneous
surfaces where the wave
is at its maximum.
Wavefronts travel
outward from the source
at the speed of light: c.
Wavefronts propagate
perpendicular to the
local wavefront surface.

Reflection and Refraction

When a light ray travels from one medium to
another, part of the incident light is reflected
and part of the light is transmitted at the
boundary between the two media.
The transmitted part is said to be refracted in
the second medium.
incident ray

reflected ray

refracted ray

Refraction by plane interface

& Total internal reflection

Reflection by plane surfaces

y
r1 = (x,y,z)

z
r2= (-x,y,z)

n2
r1 = (x,y,z)

2
2

x
y

r3=(-x,-y,z)

n1 > n2

r4=(-x-y,-z)

1
1

n1

r2 = (x,-y,z)
P

Law of Reflection
r1 = (x,y,z)

= (x,-y,z)

1 sin 1=n2sin 2

Reflecting through (x,z) plane

Examples of prisms and total internal

reflection

Types of Reflection

45o

45o

45o

Totally reflecting
prism

45o

Porro Prism

If the surface off which the

light is reflected is smooth,
then the light undergoes
specular reflection (parallel
rays will all be reflected in
the same directions).
If, on the other hand, the
surface is rough, then the
light will undergo diffuse
reflection (parallel rays will
be reflected in a variety of
directions)

The Law of Reflection

For specular reflection the incident angle
equals the reflected angle r
i

22.1 Spherical Mirrors

The angles are

measured relative
to the normal,
shown here as a
dotted line.

Spherical Mirrors
A spherical mirror is a mirror whose surface
shape is spherical with radius of curvature R.
There are two types of spherical mirrors:
concave and convex.

Spherical Mirrors
We will always orient the mirrors so that the
reflecting surface is on the left. The object
will be on the left.

concave

convex

Focal Point

Focal Point

When parallel rays (e.g. rays from a distance

source) are incident upon a spherical mirror,
the reflected rays intersect at the focal point F,
a distance R/2 from the mirror.

Locally, the mirror is a flat surface,

perpendicular to the radius drawn from C, at
an angle from the axis of symmetry of the
mirror.

Focal Point

Focal Point

For a concave mirror, the focal point is in front

of the mirror (real).

For a convex mirror, the focal point is behind

the mirror (virtual).

The incident rays

diverge from the convex
mirror, but they trace back
to a virtual focal point F.

Focal Length
The focal length f is the distance from the
surface of the mirror to the focal point.
CF = FA = FM = radius

Focal Length
The focal length FM is half the radius of
curvature of a spherical mirror.
Sign Convention: the focal length is negative
if the focal point is behind the mirror.
For a concave mirror, f = R
For a convex mirror, f = R (R is always
positive)

Ray Diagram
It is sufficient to use two of four principal rays
to determine where an image will be located.

22.2 Refraction at spherical

surfaces

The parallel ray (P ray)

reflects through the focal
point.
The focal ray (F ray) reflects
parallel to the axis, and
The center-of-curvature ray
(C ray) reflects back
along its incoming path.
The Mid ray (M ray) reflects
with equal angles at the
axis of symmetry of the
mirror.

M ray

Ray Diagram

Ray Diagram Examples: concave

The parallel ray (P ray) reflects through the focal point.

The focal ray (F ray) reflects parallel to the axis
The center-of-curvature ray (C ray) reflects back along its
incoming path.
The Mid ray (M ray) reflects with equal angles at the axis of
symmetry of the mirror.

Put film here for Sharp Image.

Real image

Ray Diagram Examples: convex

Ray Diagram Examples: concave

Virtual image

Real image

Ray Diagram Examples: convex

The Mirror Equation

The ray tracing technique
shows qualitatively where
the image will be located.
The distance from the
mirror to the image, di, can
be found from the mirror
equation:

1 1
do di

1
f

di = distance from image to mirror

f = focal length
m = magnification

do is positive if the object is in front of the

mirror (real object)
do is negative if the object is in back of
the mirror (virtual object)
di is positive if the image is in front of the
mirror (real image)
di is negative if the image is behind the
mirror (virtual image)

do = distance from object to mirror

Virtual
image

Sign Conventions:

di
do

f is positive for concave mirrors

f is negative for convex mirrors
m is positive for upright images
m is negative for inverted images

Example 1

Example 2

An object is placed 30 cm in front of a concave mirror of radius 10

cm. Where is the image located? Is it real or virtual? Is it
upright or inverted? What is the magnification of the image?

An object is placed 3 cm in front of a concave mirror of radius 20

cm. Where is the image located? Is it real or virtual? Is it
upright or inverted? What is the magnification of the image?

R/2

1
d0

1
di

do

f
1
d0

5cm
1
f

do

30cm

1
di

1
f

1
d0

1
di

6
30cm

di

6cm

1
5cm

1
30cm

1
30cm

5
30cm

1
6cm

di>0 Real Image

m = di / do = 1/5

1
di
1
di

R/2
10cm
1 1
di f
3cm
1
f

1
d0

3
30cm

1
1
10cm 3cm
10
7
30cm 30cm

di

4.29cm

di / do

1.43

Virtual image, di <0

Magnified, |m| > 1,
not inverted. m > 0

Example 3
An object is placed 5 cm in front of a convex mirror of focal length
10 cm. Where is the image located? Is it real or virtual? Is it
upright or inverted? What is the magnification of the image?
f

R/ 2

1
d0

1
di

do

10cm
1
f

22.3 Thin lenses

5cm

1
di

1
f

1
d0

1
10cm

1
di

1
10cm

di
m

3.33cm
di / d o 0.66

2
10cm

1
5cm

3
10cm

Virtual image, di <0

De-Magnified, |m| < 1,
not inverted. m > 0

Positive Lenses

Negative Lenses

Thicker in middle
Bend rays toward axis
Form real focus

Thinner in middle
Bend rays away from the axis
Form virtual focus

Types of Lenses
Lenses are used to focus light and form
images. There are a variety of possible types;
we will consider only the symmetric ones, the
double concave and the double convex.

Types of lenses
Lens nomenclature

Which type of lens to use (and how to orient it) depends on the
aberrations and application.

Raytracing made easier

In principle, to trace a ray, one must calculate
the intersection of each ray with the complex
lens surface, compute the surface normal here,
then propagate to the next surface
computationally very cumbersome
We can make things easy on ourselves by
making the following assumptions:
all rays are in the plane (2-d)
each lens is thin: height does not change across
lens
each lens has a focal length (real or virtual) that is
the same in both directions

Thin Lens Benefits

If the lens is thin, we can say that a ray
through the lens center is undeflected
real story not far from this, in fact: direction
almost identical, just a jog
the jog gets smaller as the lens gets thinner

Using the focus condition

real foci

Tracing an arbitrary ray (positive lens)

virtual foci
f

s=f

s= f

1. draw an arbitrary ray toward lens

2. stop ray at middle of lens
3. note intersection of ray with focal plane

4. from intersection, draw guiding (helper) ray

straight through center of lens (thus

undeflected)

Tracing an arbitrary ray (positive lens)

Tracing an arbitrary ray (negative

lens)

Original ray leaves lens parallel to helper

why? because parallel rays on one side of lens
meet each other at the focal plane on the
other side

1. draw an arbitrary ray toward lens

Tracing an arbitrary ray (negative

lens)

Image Formation

2. stop ray at middle of lens

3. draw helper ray through lens center (thus

undeflected) parallel to the incident ray

4. note intersection of helper with focal plane

Place arrow (object) on left, trace through

image:

Emerging ray will appear to come from this (virtual)

focal point
why? parallel rays into a negative lens appear to
diverge from the same virtual focus on the input
side

1) along optical axis (no defl.); 2) parallel to axis, goes

through far focus with optical axis ray; 3) through
lens center; 4) through near-side focus, emerges
parallel to optical axis; 5) arbitrary ray with helper

Image Formation

Notes on Image Formation

Note convergence at image position (smaller

arrow)
could run backwards just as well

Note the following:

image is inverted
image size proportional to the associated svalue: ray 3 proves it
both s and s
f (s = 120; s
80; f = 48)

Notes on Image Formation

Virtual Images

If the object is inside the focal length (s < f):

a virtual (larger) image is formed
non-inverted
Ray numbers are same procedure as previous

Gaussian lens formula (simple form):

Virtual Images

The lensWe saw the Gaussian lens formula before:

This time s
s = 40; f = 60; s
120
negative image distances indicate virtual
images

The lensR1 is for the left surface (pos. if center of

curvature to right)
R2 is for right surface (pos. if center of
curvature to right)
bi-convex (as in prev. examples) has R1 > 0;
R2 < 0
n is the refractive index of the material
(assume in air/vac)

f is positive for positive lenses, negative for

negative lenses
s is positive on left, s
But in terms of the surface properties:

1 / f = (n

2005 J. F. Becker

Principal-ray diagrams showing the

graphical method of locating an image
formed by a thin lens
(converging and diverging).

2005 J. F. Becker

San Jose State University

Physics 52 Heat and Optics

1) (1 /R1 + 1 /R2)

San Jose State University

Physics 52 Heat and Optics

Formation of images by a thin converging

lens for various object distances.

2005 J. F. Becker

San Jose State University

Physics 52 Heat and Optics

Principal-ray diagram for an image

formed by a thin diverging lens.

2005 J. F. Becker

San Jose State University

Physics 52 Heat and Optics

Telescope

The real image of the first lens acts

as the object for the second lens.

2005 J. F. Becker

San Jose State University

Physics 52 Heat and Optics

Telescope

eyepiece
sharing a focal plane; giving the eye the
parallel light it wants
Everything goes as ratio of focal lengths: f1/f2
magnification is just M = 2/ 1 = f1/f2

magnification is just M = 2/ 1 = f1/f2

after all: magnification is how much bigger
things look
displacement at focal plane, = f1 1 = f2 2
relation above
ratio of collimated beam (pupil) sizes: P1/P2 =
f1/f2 = M

Spherical Mirrors

(i) Concave mirrors

Summary

Spherical Mirrors
(ii) Convex mirrors

spherical Mirrors

Image Forming by Spherical Mirrors

Image Forming by Spherical Mirrors

Image Forming by spherical Mirrors

Image Forming by spherical Mirrors

Image Forming by spherical Mirrors

Refraction on Curved Surfaces

Refraction on Curved Surfaces

Thin Lens

Thin Lens

Thin Lens

Thin Lens

Telescopes and Microscopes

Example
f1 = 15cm

f2 = 30cm

Object

22.5 cm

15cm

40cm

Mirror

(a) Determine the position of the final image

(b) If the plane mirror is removed and the
distance of separation between both lenses is 35
cm, determine the new position of the final
image.