Optics Unit Review
Be familiar with…
 Properties of light – how light moves, parts of a wave (and how to measure or
describe those parts), amount of energy that a wave had
 Parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (longer/shorter wavelengths, lots vs. little
energy) – what they are and what they are used for
 Law of reflection
 Parts of a ray diagram
 Reflection in a plane, concave and convex mirror
 Locating images in plane (long vs. short-cut methods), concave and convex (know
the definitions associated with curved mirrors – e.g. – centre of curvature, radius of
curvature, vertex, focal point, focal length, principal axis) mirrors --- and their
characteristics (SALT)
 Know the alternative names for concave and convex mirrors
 Why do we see reflections (luminous vs. non-luminous, opaque, translucent,
transparent, reflected, absorbed, transmitted, diffuse reflection, regular reflection)
 Uses of concave and convex mirrors – make sure you can list examples and
describe how they work and/or are used
 Magnification of Images – know the two equations (one using the ratio of heights and
the other using the ratio of distances) and know how to work through a problem
using the “GRASP” method
 Be able to locate images convex lenses and describe their characteristics (SALT) as
well as know the definitions associated with the lenses
 Be able to recognize the patterns for lenses in terms of location of the object versus
characteristics and location of the image
 Be able to use the THIN LENS EQUATION to be able to determine di, do, f and then
to take this further and determine M, hi and ho, recognize the significance of a virtual
image when using this equation and be able to describe the image characteristics
(SALT) given numbers (think about your assignment)
 Be able to work your SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR correctly… including how to
program it to do a number such as 5.6 x 1012 or find the inverse/reciprocal
 Refraction of light (what is it? why does it occur?)
 Fibre Optics
 What is the index of refraction and how is it determined (know the equation)? What
does a low ‘n’ value vs. a high ‘n’ value mean? Be able to solve problems using the
“GRASP” method
 What is dispersion & total internal reflection – give examples of each
 Be able to identify/describe the different sources of light (e.g. bioluminescence or
chemiluminescence)
 Be able to describe the different technologies that apply the principles of optics
 Know the eye, be able to label a diagram of the eye and describe how it works (for
e.g. – how is an image formed on the retina)
 What is the difference between rods and cones
 What is the difference between far-sightedness, near-sightedness and astigmatism
 What is colour blindness?