Light

Q1. Suppose you are in a dark room. Can you see objects in the room? Can
you see objects outside the room? Explain.
Ans. If we are in a dark room, then it is not possible for us to see objects in the
room. However, objects outside the room are visible to us. An object becomes
visible when light reaches our eye after being reflected from the object. If there
is no light in the room, then the objects inside the room cannot reflect any light.
Hence, we cannot see it in a dark room. If there is light present outside the
room, then we can see the objects outside the room.

Q2. Differentiate between regular and diffused reflection. Does diffused

reflection mean the failure of the laws of reflection?
Ans. Regular reflection takes place from a smooth or regular surface. In regular
reflection, all reflected rays are parallel to each other for parallel incident rays.
Irregular or diffused reflection takes place from an
irregular surface. In diffused reflection, the reflected rays are not parallel to
each other for parallel incident rays. This happens because of the presence of
irregular microscopic surfaces. Hence, parallel incident rays reflect in different
directions. However, each ray obeys the laws of reflection. Therefore, laws of
reflections are not violated in diffused or irregular reflections.

Q3. Mention against each of the following whether regular or diffused

reflection will take place when a beam of light strikes. Justify your answer
in each case.
(a) Polished wooden table (b) Chalk powder
(c) Cardboard surface (d) Marble floor with water spread over it

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(e) Mirror (f) Piece of paper
Ans. (a) Polished wooden table → Regular reflection
A polished surface is an example of a smooth surface. A polished wooden table
has a smooth surface. Hence, reflections from the polished table will be regular.
(b) Chalk powder → Diffused reflection
Chalk powder spread on a surface is an example of an irregular surface. It is not
smooth. Therefore, the diffused reflection will take place from chalk powder.
(c) Cardboard surface → Diffused reflection
The cardboard surface is also an example of an irregular surface. Hence, the
diffused reflection will take place from a cardboard surface.
(d) Marble floor with water spreads over it → Regular reflection
Marble floor with water spread over it is an example of a regular surface. This is
because water makes the marble surface smooth. Hence, the regular reflection
will take place from this surface.
(e) Mirror → Regular reflection
Mirror has a smooth surface. Therefore, it will give a regular reflection.
(f) Piece of paper → Diffused reflection
Although a piece of paper may look smooth, it has many irregularities on its
surface. Due to this reason, it will give a diffused reflection.

Q4. State the laws of reflection.

Ans. Laws of reflection:
(i) The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence.
(ii) The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the reflective surface at
the point of incidence all lie in the same plane.
Q5. Describe an activity to show that the incident ray, the reflected ray and
the normal at the point of incidence lie in the same plane.
Ans. Place a plane mirror on the table. Take a paper sheet and make a small
hole in its center. Make sure that the light in the room is not bright. Hold the

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sheet normal to the table. Take another sheet and place it on the table in
contact with the vertical mirror. Draw a normal line on the second sheet from
the mirror. Now, light a torch on the mirror through the small hole such that the
ray of light falls on the normal at the bottom of the mirror. When the ray from
this hole is incident on the mirror, it gets reflected in a certain direction. You can
easily observe the incident ray, reflected ray, and the normal to the mirror at
the point of incidence on the sheet placed on the table. This shows that the
incident ray, the reflected ray, and the normal to the surface at the point of
incidence all lie in the same plane.

Figure showing point of incidence of the incident ray, normal and reflected ray

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Q6. Fill in the blanks in the following.
(a) A person 1 m in front of a plane mirror seems to be ____ __ m away
from his image.
(b) If you touch your ________ ear with your right hand in front of a
plane mirror, it will be seen in the mirror that your right ear is touched with
your _________.
(c) The size of the pupil becomes ________ when you see in dim light.
(d) Night birds have _________ cones than rods in their eyes.
Ans. (a) A person 1 m in front of a plane mirror seems to be 2 m away from his
image.
(Object distance and image distance are the same from a plane mirror. The
image of a person 1 m in front of a mirror is 1 m back to the mirror. Hence, the
image is 1 + 1 = 2 m away from the person.)
(b) If you touch your left ear with your right hand in front of a plane mirror, it
will be seen in the mirror that your right ear is touched with your left hand.
(This is because of lateral inversion of images formed in a plane mirror.)
(c) The size of the pupil becomes large when you see in dim light.
(In the dim light, the amount of light entering the eye is very little. To increase
the amount of light, the pupil expands.)
(d) Night birds have fewer cones than rods in their eyes.
(Night birds can see in the night, but not in the day. They have on their retina a
large number of rod cells and only a few cones.)

Q7. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

(a) Always (b) Sometimes
(c) Under special conditions (d) Never
Ans. (a) The angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection. This is
the first law of reflection.

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Q8. The image formed by a plane mirror is
(a) virtual, behind the mirror, and enlarged.
(b) virtual, behind the mirror, and of the same size as the object.
(c) real at the surface of the mirror and enlarged.
(d) real, behind the mirror, and of the same size as the object.
Ans. (b) The image formed by a plane mirror is virtual, behind the mirror, and of
the same size as the object.
The image formed by a plane mirror is of the same size as the object. The image
is formed behind the mirror. The image cannot be obtained on a screen. Hence,
it is a virtual image.

Q9. Describe the construction of a kaleidoscope.

Ans. Construction of a kaleidoscope:
Three rectangular mirror strips of dimensions 15cm × 4cm (l × b) are joined
together to form a prism (fig a). This prism is fixed into a circular cardboard
tube. The circular cardboard tube should be slightly longer than the prism (fig
b). This circular tube is now closed at one end with a cardboard disc. This disc
has a hole in it through which we can see (fig c). At the other end of the circular
tube, a plane glass plate is fixed. It is important that this glass plate touches the
prism mirrors. On this glass plate, several small and broken pieces of coloured
glass are placed. This end is now closed by a round glass plate allowing enough
space for the coloured glass pieces to move (fig d).

Fig. Kaleidoscope

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Q10. Draw a labeled sketch of the human eye.
Ans.

Q11. Gurmit wanted to perform Activity 16.8 using a laser torch. Her teacher
advised her not to do so. Can you explain the basis of the teacher’s advice?
Ans. Laser light is harmful to human eyes because its intensity is very high. It
can cause damage to the retina and lead to blindness. Hence, it is advisable not
to look at a laser beam directly.

Q12. Explain how you can take care of your eyes.

Ans. To protect our eyes, the given points should be taken into account:
(i) Visit an eye specialist regularly.
(ii) Avoid reading in dim light and very bright light.
(iii) Avoid direct exposure of sunlight to the eye.
(iv) Clean your eyes with cold water quickly if dust particles or small insects
enter your eye. Do not rub your eyes.
(v) Maintain a distance of at least 25 cm between the book and your eyes while
reading.

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Q13. What is the angle of incidence of a ray if the reflected ray is at an
angle of 90° to the incident ray?
Ans. If the reflected ray is at an angle of 90° to the incident ray, then the angle
of incidence is 45 °. According to the law of reflection, the angle of incidence is
equal to the angle of reflection. Therefore, the angle of incidence and the angle
of reflection both are 900/2= 45°.

Q14. How many images of a candle will be formed if it is placed between

two parallel plane mirrors separated by 40 cm?
Ans. Infinite or multiple images of the candle will be formed because of multiple
reflections between the mirrors. When two mirrors are placed parallel to each
other, then infinite numbers of images are formed.

Q15. Two mirrors meet at right angles. A ray of light is incident on one at an
angle of 30° as shown in Fig. 16.19. Draw the reflected ray from the second
mirror.

Ans. The first law of reflection is used to obtain the path of reflected light.

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It can be observed that the given ray of light will reflect from the second mirror
at an angle of 60°.

Q16. Yasir stands at A just on the side of a plane mirror as shown in Fig.
16.20. Can he see himself in the mirror? Also, can he see the image of
objects situated at P, Q, and R?

Ans. A plane mirror forms a virtual image behind the mirror. The image is as far
behind the mirror as the object is in front of it. A cannot see his image because
the length of the mirror is too short on his side. However, he can see the objects
placed at points P and Q, but cannot see the object placed at point R (as shown
in the given figure).

Q17. (a) Find out the position of the image of an object situated at A in the
plane mirror (Fig. 16.21).
(b) Can Saba at B see this image?
(c) Can Yasir at C see this image?
(d) When Paheli moves from B to C, where does the image of A move?

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Ans. (a) The image of the object placed at A is formed behind the mirror. The
distance of the image from the mirror is equal to the distance of A from the
mirror. The image of A
is shown in the given figure.

(b) Yes. Saba at B can see this image.

(c) Yes. Yasir at C can see this image.
(d) The image of the object at A will not move. It will remain in the same
position when Paheli moves from B to C.

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