Light Mirrors and Lenses Class 8 Notes

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Science Class 8 Science 125 views May 19, 2026 Reviewed & updated Sep 17, 2026
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Light Mirrors and Lenses Class 8 Notes

Light Mirrors and Lenses Class 8 Notes

  1. Light: A form of electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, enabling the perception of the environment.
  2. Reflection: The bouncing back of light rays when they hit a surface, such as a mirror.
  3. Incident Ray: The ray of light that strikes a surface before being reflected.
  4. Reflected Ray: The ray of light that bounces off a surface after striking it.
  5. Normal Line: An imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence where the light ray strikes.
  6. Angle of Incidence: The angle between the incident ray and the normal line.
  7. Angle of Reflection: The angle between the reflected ray and the normal line.
  8. Concave Mirror: A mirror that curves inward, converging light rays to a focal point, which can create enlarged images.
  9. Convex Mirror: A mirror that curves outward, causing light rays to diverge, which always produces diminished and erect images.
  10. Plane Mirror: A flat mirror that produces images that are the same size as the object and are erect.
  11. Lens: A transparent optical device that refracts light rays to converge or diverge them.
  12. Convex Lens: A lens that is thicker in the centre than at the edges, converging light rays to a focal point.
  13. Converge: Tend to meet at a point.
  14. Diverge: Separate from another route and go in a different direction.
  15. Concave Lens: A lens that is thinner in the centre than at the edges, diverging light rays.
  16. Focal Point: The point where light rays converge after passing through a convex lens or reflecting off a concave mirror.
  17. Erect Image: An image that appears upright relative to the object.
  18. Inverted Image: An image that appears upside down relative to the object.
  19. Diminished Image: An image that is smaller than the object.
  20. Enlarged Image: An image that is larger than the object.
  21. Solar Concentrator: A device that uses mirrors or lenses to focus sunlight into a small area for heating or energy generation.
  22. Magnifying Glass: A convex lens used to produce a magnified image of an object.
  23. Optics: The branch of physics that deals with the behaviour and properties of light.

1. Light

  1. Definition: Electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye.
  2. Properties: Travels in straight lines, can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.

2. Reflection of Light

Laws of Reflection

  1. Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection.
  2. The incident ray, reflected ray, and normal lie in the same plane.

Types of Mirrors:

Plane Mirrors:

  1. Characteristics: Flat surface, produces upright and same-sized images.

Curved Mirrors:

Concave Mirrors:

  1. Characteristics: Curved inward, converges light rays, produces real and inverted images or virtual images
  2. Applications: Used in shaving mirrors, satellite dishes, and solar cookers.

Convex Mirrors:

  1. Characteristic: Curved outward, diverges light rays, produces virtual, upright, and smaller images.
  2. Applications: Used in side-view mirrors of vehicles and security mirrors in stores.

3. Spherical Mirrors

  1. Definition: Mirrors shaped like a part of a hollow sphere.

Types:

  1. Concave Mirror: Reflecting surface is on the inside.
  2. Convex Mirror: Reflecting surface is on the outside.

4. Lenses

  1. Definition: Transparent optical devices that refract light.

Types:

  1. Convex Lenses: Converges light rays, can produce real or virtual images depending on the object distance.
  2. Concave Lenses: Diverges light rays, always produces virtual images.

Applications of Mirrors and Lenses:

  1. Solar cookers, medical instruments, safety mirrors, eye glasses, cameras, microscopes, and projectors.

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