Ray Box: Mirrors and Lenses

Classroom ray box and acrylic optics · law of reflection, concave mirror, converging lens

In short: A ray box shines thin beams of light across a sheet of paper. A mirror and a lens bounce or bend the beams so you can see exactly where the light goes: angle in equals angle out at a mirror, and parallel rays meet at the focal point of a curved mirror or a converging lens.

Scene view

Ray box

Slits

Colour

On the paper

convex lensconcave lens trapezoidD-shaped lens 3-sided mirrorhollow lens black absorberblack concave absorberblack convex absorber

Show

protractornormals and angles find the focusweak surface reflections mm grid on the paperconcave-mirror template sheetlens F and C diagramswater tankray table (OS-8465A)

Selected:

Ray table angle0°

Left / right

Toward / away

Rotation

Turn:

show F and C for this piece

Hollow lens fill

Kit dimensions (estimated; measure yours)

Convex lens R

Convex thickness

Concave lens R

Mirror face R

Trapezoid end angle

Measurements (middle ray)

show angles in the scene

Angles are measured from the normal, like on the protractor. Acrylic n ≈ 1.49, water n ≈ 1.33.

Drag the ray box or any optic to move it. To turn it, select it and drag the blue ring around it (or Shift-drag it, use the Turn buttons, or press [ and ]; Shift for fine steps). The ray box turns about the slit where the rays leave. Blue dashed lines are the normals where the middle ray meets a surface.

Labs