Session 1 Reviewer

Which of the following best describes a wavefront?

• A single ray of light moving outward from a point source

• A line perpendicular to the direction of wave travel

• A surface where all points are in phase with each other

• The distance between two consecutive crests

What is the relationship between a ray and a wavefront?

• A ray is parallel to the wavefront

• A ray is perpendicular to the wavefront

• A ray is the same as the wavefront

• A ray represents the distance between crests

Which statement accurately describes the nature of an image formed by a plane mirror?

• The image is real, inverted, and smaller than the object.

• The image is virtual, upright, and appears the same size as the object.

• The image is virtual, inverted, and appears larger than the object.

• The image is real, upright, and appears the same size as the object.

Where is the image located in relation to the object and the mirror?

• The image is located twice as far behind the mirror as the object is in front.

• The image is located at the same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front.

• The image is located at half the distance behind the mirror as the object is in front.

• The image is located at an infinite distance behind the mirror.

What kind of left–right orientation does a plane mirror image exhibit?

• The image is reversed from top to bottom only.

• The image is reversed from left to right only.

• The image is reversed both left–right and top–bottom.

• The image is not reversed at all.

Which statement correctly explains why light undergoes diffuse reflection off rough surfaces?

• The law of reflection does not apply to rough surfaces, allowing rays to scatter randomly.

• Each incident ray hits a different microscopic orientation of the surface, so reflected rays disperse in many directions.

• Rough surfaces absorb most light and re-emit it in all directions, causing diffusion.

• The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection only on smooth surfaces, and is violated on rough surfaces.

Which of the following is characteristic of specular reflection?

• Light rays reflect in many directions, preventing a clear image from forming.

• The incident and reflected rays do not lie in the same plane.

• Parallel incident rays reflect as a concentrated, parallel bundle, preserving image formation.

• The law of reflection is not obeyed in specular reflection.

Which ray is correctly paired with its behavior when drawing a ray diagram for a concave mirror?

• A ray parallel to the principal axis reflects through the center of curvature.

• A ray passing through the focal point reflects parallel to the principal axis.

• A ray through the center of curvature reflects toward the focal point.

• A ray hitting the mirror’s vertex reflects toward the center of curvature.

When an object is placed beyond the center of curvature (C) of a concave mirror, the image formed is typically:

• Upright, virtual, and magnified

• Inverted, real, and reduced in size

• Upright, real, and the same size

• Inverted, virtual, and reduced in size

How many principal rays are typically used to locate the image of an object in a concave mirror ray diagram?

• A. One — any one ray will do, since they all converge

• Two — and they share the same rule each time

• Three — parallel, focal, and center-of-curvature rays

• Four — including a ray through the vertex with special behavior