Science Olympiad Optics Exam Study Guide (Verified And Updated)

Science Olympiad Optics Exam Study Guide (Verified And Updated) geometric optics - answerhow light travels, including reflection and refraction, light is thought of as rays which travel according to certain principles law of reflection - answerthe angle of incidence of a wave or stream of particles reflecting from a boundary, conventionally measured from the normal to the interface, is equal to the angle of reflection, measured from the same interface optical density - answermeasures how well a medium can transmit light, is different from the actual density of the medium (ex. water has a higher optical density than air so light travels slower in water than air) ` index of refraction - answerused to determine the angle at which light refracts at a boundary, defined by the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in the medium Snell's law - answercalculates refraction, n1*sin(theta)1=n2*sin(theta)2 Iris - answerMuscle that controls the size of the pupil and makes our eye the different colors (blue, green, brown) Retina - answerthe sensory membrane that lines the eye; it receives images formed by the lens and converts them into signals that reach the brain by way of the optic nerve Cornea - answerClear part of the eye covering the iris and the pupil; lets light into the eye, permitting sight Pupil - answerthe dark, circular opening in the center of the iris, varying in size to regulate the amount of light reaching the retina Sclera - answerlooks like the white of a cooked egg, it is the outer coat of the eyeball that forms the visible white of the eye and surrounds the optic nerve at the back of the eyeball Fovea - answera depression in the retina that contains cones, but not rods, and that provides acute eyesight Lens (eye) - answernearly spherical body in the eye, locate behind the cornea, that focuses light rays onto the cornea Macula - answerpart of the eye near the middle of the retina; it allows us to see objects with great detail Aqueous Humor - answerclear fluid in the front of the eye, between the cornea and the iris, that provides nutrients to the cornea and the lens Vitreous Humor - answera clear gel-like substance that occupies the space behind the lens and in front of the retina at the back of the eye Vitreous Body - answerpart of the eye between the lens and the retina, containing a clear jelly called the vitreous humor Optic Nerve - answerthe nerve that carries electrical impulses from photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina to the visual cortex in the brain Optic Nerve Head - answeralso called the optic disk, it is a circular area where the optic nerve enters the retina, and the location of the eye's blind spot Lateral rectus muscle - answermuscle that moves the eye away from the nose Medial rectus muscle - answermuscle that moves the eye toward the nose Conjunctiva - answermucous membrane that lines the visible part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids Suspensory ligament - answermembrane of fibers that holds the eye's lens in place Concave mirror - answerbends inward like a cave, when looking at the mirror, things become upside down due the "caving in" on the mirror Convex mirror - answerBends outward from the middle, this mirror does the opposite of concave mirrors, they keep things right-side up Concave lens - answerThis lens curves inward, unlike a convex lens, this one keeps the light upright Convex lens - answerThis lens curves outward, and like a concave mirror, it makes things look upside down Law of Reflection - answerAngle of incidence=Angle of Reflection primary colors of pigment/secondary colors of light - answermagenta, cyan, yellow secondary colors of pigment/primary colors of light - answerred, green, blue Incident Ray - answerThis is the ray of light that comes from the source Reflected Ray - answerThis is the ray of light that has bounced off a surface (such as a mirror)