Reflection and Refraction in Lenses and Mirrors

Reflection and Refraction in Lenses and Mirrors

Grade 11th Grade · Science · 50 min

What's Included

Learning Objective

I can apply the laws of reflection and refraction to predict the path of light through lenses and mirrors.

Warm-Up Video

CrashCourse · 9:40

Geometric Optics: Crash Course Physics #38

Guided Notes

3 key concepts

  • 1

    The ray model of light states that light travels in straight-line paths called rays, and the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.

  • 2

    Refraction is the phenomenon of light rays changing direction when passing between media, and the angle of refraction is related to the angle of incidence by Snell's Law; for example, a straw in water appears bent due to refraction.

  • 3

    Lenses use refraction to form images, where converging lenses form real images when rays converge and diverging lenses form virtual images; the thin lens equation relates object distance, image distance, and focal length.

Practice Questions

10 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Exit Ticket

Quick comprehension check

A flashlight is pointed at a flat mirror at an angle of 60° relative to the normal. At what angle relative to the normal will the light reflect?

Complete Lesson Package

Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:

Teacher Guide
Student Doc
Slides