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United StatesPhysics 2

Unit 13: Geometric Optics

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do converging and diverging lenses form images, and what does the thin-lens equation predict?

Topic 13.4 Images Formed by Lenses: apply the thin-lens equation and magnification to images from converging and diverging lenses.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 13.4, covering converging and diverging lenses, the focal length sign convention, the thin-lens equation, the magnification equation, real and virtual images, and ray tracing, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →

How do curved mirrors form images, and what does the mirror equation predict?

Topic 13.2 Images Formed by Mirrors: apply the mirror equation and magnification to images from concave and convex mirrors.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 13.2, covering concave and convex mirrors, the focal length and its relation to the radius, the mirror equation, the magnification equation, the sign conventions, and the characteristics of real and virtual images, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →

How does light reflect off a surface, and why does a mirror produce an image?

Topic 13.1 Reflection: apply the law of reflection and the ray model of light to plane surfaces.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 13.1, covering the ray model of light, the law of reflection that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, the distinction between specular and diffuse reflection, and image formation in a plane mirror, with full worked examples.
10 min answer →

Why does light bend when it enters a new medium, and when does it reflect entirely?

Topic 13.3 Refraction: apply Snell's law and the index of refraction, and find the critical angle for total internal reflection.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 13.3, covering the index of refraction, Snell's law for the bending of light at a boundary, the link between index and speed, total internal reflection and the critical angle, and the direction of bending, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →