Laws of Geometric Optics
There are two basic laws that we study in geometric optics
- The optics’ law of reflection which states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection when light strikes a surface.
- Another law of optics which explains how light bends when passing through two different media is the law of refraction. The bending act differently through different refractive indices of the media.
Law of Reflection
The law of reflection is asserted by reflecting light rays. It states that
- The angle of the incident equals the angle of the reflected measured along the same angle with respect to the surface at the point of incidence.
- The incident ray, reflected ray and normal which is an imaginary line, all lie in the same plane
Check, Reflection of Light
Law of Refraction or Snell’s Law
According to Snell’s Law, which is also often referred to as the Law of Refraction, light beams experience deviation when they travel from one medium through another medium. This phenomena is called refraction of light. It tells that the ratio between the sine of the incident angle to the sine of the refraction angle is a constant for particular pairs of two media unless the medium in the medium is changed.
Geometric Optics
Geometric optics is a branch of optics that focuses on the study of light as rays, without considering its wave nature. It deals with the behavior of light when it interacts with surfaces and boundaries, particularly in terms of reflection and refraction. Geometric optics is primarily concerned with the formation of images by optical elements such as lenses and mirrors and the principles governing their behavior.
In this article, we will learn in detail about geometric optics, optical instruments based on geometric optics, formulas and examples.
Table of Content
- What is Geometric Optics
- Laws of Geometric Optics
- Mirrors in Geometric Optics
- Lenses in Geometric Optics
- Ray Tracing in Geometric Optics
- Geometric Optics Formula