Light - Reflection and Refraction Class 10

Master Light - Reflection and Refraction Class 10 with comprehensive NCERT Solutions, Practice Questions, MCQs, Sample Papers, Case Based Questions, and Video lessons.

NCERT Solutions

Light - Reflection and Refraction Class 10 – NCERT Solutions

Each question below opens its complete step-by-step Teachoo solution.

NCERT Questions

17 questions

NCERT Question 1 (MCQ)

Which one of the following materials cannot be used to make a lens?
(a) Water (b) Glass (c) Plastic (d) Clay

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NCERT Question 2 (MCQ)

The image formed by a concave mirror is observed to be virtual, erect and larger
than the object. Where should be the position of the object?
(a) Between the principal focus and the centre of curvature
(b) At the centre of curvature
(c) Beyond the centre of curvature
(d) Between the pole of the mirror and its principal focus.

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NCERT Question 3 (MCQ)

Where should an object be placed in front of a convex lens to get a real image of the
size of the object?
(a) At the principal focus of the lens
(b) At twice the focal length
(c) At infinity
(d) Between the optical centre of the lens and its principal focus.

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NCERT Question 4 (MCQ)

A spherical mirror and a thin spherical lens have each a focal length of –15cm. The
mirror and the lens are likely to be
(a) both concave.
(b) both convex.

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NCERT Question 5 (MCQ)

No matter how far you stand from a mirror, your image appears erect. The mirror
is likely to be
(a) only plane.
(b) only concave.
(c) only convex.
(d) either plane or convex

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NCERT Question 6 (MCQ)

Which of the following lenses would you prefer to use while reading small letters
found in a dictionary?
(a) A convex lens of focal length 50 cm.
(b) A concave lens of focal length 50 cm.
(c) A convex lens of focal length 5 cm.
(d) A concave lens of focal length 5 cm.

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NCERT Question 7

We wish to obtain an erect image of an object, using a concave mirror of focal length 15 cm. What should be the range of distance of the object from the mirror? What is the nature of the image? Is the image larger or smaller than the object? Draw a ray diagram to show the image formation in this case.

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NCERT Question 8 (MCQ)

Name the type of mirror used in the following situations.
(a) Headlights of a car.
(b) Side/rear-view mirror of a vehicle.
(c) Solar furnace.
Support your answer with reason.

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NCERT Question 9

One-half of a convex lens is covered with a black paper. Will this lens produce a
complete image of the object? Verify your answer experimentally. Explain your
observations.

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NCERT Question 10

An object 5 cm in length is held 25 cm away from a converging lens of focal length
10 cm. Draw the ray diagram and find the position, size and the nature of the
image formed

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NCERT Question 11

A concave lens of focal length 15 cm forms an image 10 cm from the lens. How far
is the object placed from the lens? Draw the ray diagram.

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NCERT Question 12

An object is placed at a distance of 10 cm from a convex mirror of focal length
15 cm. Find the position and nature of the image

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NCERT Question 13

The magnification produced by a plane mirror is +1. What does this mean?

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NCERT Question 14

An object 5.0 cm in length is placed at a distance of 20 cm in front of a convex
mirror of radius of curvature 30 cm. Find the position of the image, its nature
and size.

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NCERT Question 15

An object of size 7.0 cm is placed at 27 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal
length 18 cm. At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed, so that
a sharp focussed image can be obtained? Find the size and the nature of the image.

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NCERT Question 16

Find the focal length of a lens of power – 2.0 D. What type of lens is this?

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NCERT Question 17

A doctor has prescribed a corrective lens of power +1.5 D. Find the focal length of
the lens. Is the prescribed lens diverging or converging?

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Questions from Inside the chapter

14 questions

Question 1 Page 168

Define the principal focus of a concave mirror.

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Question 2 Page 168

The radius of curvature of a spherical mirror is 20 cm. What is its focal length?

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Question 3 Page 168

Name a mirror that can give an erect and enlarged image of an object

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Question 4 Page 168

Why do we prefer a convex mirror as a rear-view mirror in vehicles?

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Question 1 Page 171

Find the focal length of a convex mirror whose radius of curvature is 32 cm

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Question 2 Page 171

A concave mirror produces three times magnified (enlarged) real image an object placed at 10 cm in front of it. Where is the image located?

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Question 1 Page 176

A ray of light travelling in air enters obliquely into water. Does the light ray bends towards the normal or away from the normal? Why?

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Question 2 Page 176

Light enters from air to glass having refractive index 1.50. What is the speed of light in the glass? The speed of light in vacuum is 3 × 10
8
m s
–1

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Question 3 Page 176

Find out, from Table 10.3, the medium having highest optical density. Also find the medium with lowest optical density

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Question 4 Page 176

You are given kerosene, turpentine and water. In which of these does the light travel fastest? Use the information given in Table 10.3

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Question 5 Page 176

The refractive index of diamond is 2.42. What is the meaning of this statement?

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Question 2 Page 184

A convex lens forms a real and inverted image of a needle at a distance of 50 cm from it. Where is the needle placed in front of the convex lens if the image is equal to the size of the object? Also, find the power of the lens

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Question 3 Page 184

Find the power of a concave lens of focal length 2 m.

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Examples from NCERT Book

5 questions

Example 10.1

A convex mirror used for rear-view on an automobile has a radius of curvature of 3.00 m. If a bus is located at 5.00 m from this mirror, find the position, nature and size of the image

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Example 10.2

An object, 4.0 cm in size, is placed at 25.0 cm in front of a concave mirror of focal length 15.0 cm. At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed in order to obtain a sharp image? Find the nature and the size of the image.

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Example 10.3

A concave lens has focal length of 15 cm. At what distance should the object from the lens be placed so that it forms an image at 10 cm from the lens? Also, find the magnification produced by the lens.

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Example 10.4

A 2.0 cm tall object is placed perpendicular to the principal axis of a convex lens of focal length 10 cm. The distance of the object from the lens is 15 cm. Find the nature, position and size of the image. Also find its magnification.

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NCERT Question 3 (MCQ)

Most of the sources of energy we use represent stored solar energy. Which of the
following is not ultimately derived from the Sun’s energy?
(a) geothermal energy
(b) wind energy
(c) nuclear energy
(d) bio-mass.

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Why Learn This With Teachoo?

Light – Reflection and Refraction explains how light behaves when it strikes a reflecting surface or travels from one transparent medium into another. Students study image formation by spherical mirrors and lenses through ray diagrams, sign conventions and mathematical formulae.

This is a high-practice Physics chapter. Merely reading the theory is not enough. Students must learn standard rays, draw accurate diagrams, identify the nature of an image and solve numericals using the correct signs and units.

Reflection of light

Reflection occurs when light returns to the same medium after striking a surface. The laws of reflection state that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection and that the incident ray, reflected ray and normal lie in the same plane.

The chapter then introduces spherical mirrors:

  • Concave mirror

  • Convex mirror

  • Pole

  • Principal axis

  • Centre of curvature

  • Radius of curvature

  • Principal focus

  • Focal length

  • Aperture

Students use standard rays to locate the image formed by a mirror. For a concave mirror, image position and nature depend on the object’s location. A convex mirror always forms a virtual, erect and diminished image behind the mirror.

Mirror formula and magnification

The relationship among object distance, image distance and focal length is expressed through the mirror formula:

[
\frac{1}{f}=\frac{1}{v}+\frac{1}{u}
]

Magnification compares image height with object height and can also be written using image and object distances. Students apply the Cartesian sign convention before substituting values.

Refraction of light

Refraction is the change in direction of light when it travels obliquely from one transparent medium to another. It occurs because the speed of light changes.

Students learn:

  • Laws of refraction

  • Refractive index

  • Optical density

  • Refraction through a rectangular glass slab

  • Lateral displacement

  • Convex and concave lenses

  • Optical centre, focus and focal length of a lens

  • Ray diagrams for image formation by lenses

  • Lens formula

  • Magnification by a lens

  • Power of a lens and its unit, dioptre

What students commonly find difficult

Most errors come from incorrect signs, incomplete ray diagrams or confusion between real and virtual images. Students may also apply mirror and lens formulae interchangeably.

The safest method is to draw a rough labelled diagram, write each known quantity with its sign, select the formula and then calculate. The sign of the final result also carries physical meaning and must be interpreted.

Learn Light with Teachoo

Teachoo provides detailed Class 10 Light Reflection and Refraction notes, ray diagrams, NCERT Solutions and numericals. Questions are solved step by step, including formula selection, sign convention, calculation and conclusion.

Students can practise:

  • Concept questions

  • NCERT in-text and exercise questions

  • Examples from the NCERT book

  • Questions from inside the chapter

  • Teachoo Questions

  • Case-based MCQs

  • Assertion–reason questions

  • Previous-year MCQs

  • NCERT Exemplar MCQs

How should you prepare this chapter?

First master the standard rays. Then practise image formation for every object position. Prepare separate image tables for concave mirrors and convex lenses. Solve numericals only after writing the sign of each quantity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between reflection and refraction?

Reflection is the return of light into the same medium after striking a surface. Refraction is the change in direction of light when it passes from one transparent medium to another.

Which sign convention is used in Class 10 Light?

The Cartesian sign convention is used. Distances are measured from the pole of a mirror or optical centre of a lens, with direction relative to the incident light determining the sign.

What kind of image does a convex mirror form?

A convex mirror always forms a virtual, erect and diminished image behind the mirror.

What is the power of a lens?

Power measures the ability of a lens to converge or diverge light. It is the reciprocal of focal length measured in metres and its unit is the dioptre.

Does Teachoo provide Light numericals and ray diagrams?

Yes. Teachoo provides solved mirror-formula and lens-formula numericals, image-formation tables, ray diagrams, NCERT Solutions and board-oriented questions.