Light & Geometrical Optics for the MCAT: Help and Review - Videos & Lessons

About This Chapter

The light and geometrical optics chapter of this MCAT Help and Review course is the simplest way to master light and geometrical optics. This chapter uses simple and fun videos that are about five minutes long, plus lesson quizzes and a chapter exam to ensure students learn the essentials of light and geometrical optics.

Who's it for?

Anyone who needs help learning or mastering MCAT material will benefit from taking this course. You will be able to grasp the subject matter faster, retain critical knowledge longer and earn higher scores. You're in the right place if you:

Have fallen behind in understanding the properties of electromagnetic waves or the behavior of visible light
Need an efficient way to learn about light and geometrical optics
Learn best with engaging auditory and visual tools
Struggle with learning disabilities or learning differences, including autism and ADHD
Experience difficulty understanding your teachers
Missed class time and need to catch up
Can't access extra MCAT review resources at school

How it works:

Start at the beginning, or identify the topics that you need help with.
Watch and learn from fun videos, reviewing as needed.
Refer to the video transcripts to reinforce your learning.
Test your understanding of each lesson with short quizzes.
Submit questions to one of our instructors for personalized support if you need extra help.
Verify you're ready by completing the light and geometrical optics chapter exam.

Why it works:

Study Efficiently: Skip what you know, review what you don't.
Retain What You Learn: Engaging animations and real-life examples make topics easy to grasp.
Be Ready on Test Day: Use the light and geometrical optics chapter exam to be prepared.
Get Extra Support: Ask our subject-matter experts any light and geometrical optics question. They're here to help!
Study With Flexibility: Watch videos on any web-ready device.

Students will review:

In this chapter, you'll learn the answer to questions including:

What are some sources of electromagnetic waves?
What are some properties of electromagnetic radiation?
What are the regions of the electromagnetic spectrum?
How do waves reflect off surfaces?
How does the law of reflection apply to different surfaces and wave types?
What makes an object transparent or opaque?
How do objects get their color?
What is Snell's law?

20 Lessons in Chapter 21: Light & Geometrical Optics for the MCAT: Help and Review

Chapter Practice Test

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1. Electromagnetic Waves: Definition, Sources & Properties

Electromagnetic waves are both electric and magnetic, and can travel without a medium. Learn about the definition, sources, and properties of electromagnetic waves.

2. The 7 Major Regions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Unlike some other waves, electromagnetic waves don't require a medium to travel. This lesson delves into the frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum including infrared, ultraviolet, microwaves, X-rays, radio waves, and gamma rays.

3. The Nature of Light: Origin, Spectrum & Color Frequency

The nature of light includes visible light and color. Explore the origin, spectrum, and color frequency of light and learn about the six color ranges and people's perception and naming of color.

4. Reflection: Angle of Incidence and Curved Surfaces

The reflection of waves occurs when a wave changes direction after it hits a surface. Explore incident and reflected rays, the law of reflection, and reflection off curved surfaces.

5. Diffuse Reflection: Definition, Examples & Surfaces

When rays hit a rough surface, their reflections go in diverse directions. This phenomenon is called diffuse reflection. Learn its definition, its difference from specular reflection, and different examples of diffuse reflection in sound and light waves.

6. Transparent and Opaque Materials in Electromagnetic Waves

Transparency and opacity describe interactions in regions throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Explore the differences between transparent and opaque materials, their relation to transmission and reflection, and non-visible wave types.

7. Color: White Light, Reflection & Absorption

When you perceive color, what you're really seeing is how white light is reflected or absorbed by an object to produce different visible light frequencies. This lesson investigates the properties of white light, the color spectrum, the process of selective absorption and reflection, and how pigments work in living things.

$Refraction & Dispersion: Definition, Snell's Law & Index of Refraction$

8. Refraction & Dispersion: Definition, Snell's Law & Index of Refraction

When a light wave passes from one medium into another, it changes direction in a process called refraction. This lesson investigates the properties of refraction, including the index of refraction and the ratio known as Snell's Law.

9. Convex Lens: Definition, Equation & Examples

Convex lenses are used in eyeglasses, projectors, microscopes, telescopes, and many more optical instruments. In this lesson, learn what a convex lens is and what kinds of images it can form.

$Single-slit Diffraction: Interference Pattern & Equations$

10. Single-slit Diffraction: Interference Pattern & Equations

After watching this lesson, you will be able to explain what single-slit diffraction is, describe and picture the pattern that it creates on a distant screen and use the equation of single-slit diffraction to solve problems. A short quiz will follow.

$Double-slit Diffraction: Interference Pattern & Equations$

11. Double-slit Diffraction: Interference Pattern & Equations

This lesson explores double-slit diffraction, including the significance of Young's double slit experiment and how the diffraction pattern forms. You will also learn to use equations to calculate the positions of minima and maxima in the pattern.

12. Polarization of Light & Malus's Law

After watching this video, you will be able to explain what polarization of light is, list a number of examples of how polarization of light is used, state Malus's Law, and use it to solve problems involving the intensity of light through a polarizer.

13. What is Electromagnetic Radiation? - Wavelength, Spectrum & Energy

Light, microwaves, X-rays, and cell phone transmissions are all examples of electromagnetic radiation. Read more about this fascinating, mostly invisible phenomenon that has been harnessed by humans for so many purposes. A quiz is included.

14. Infrared Radiation: Definition, Uses & Effects

Electromagnetic waves between 700nm and 1mm are defined as infrared radiation. Explore the uses of infrared technology radiation, and its impact on climate change through examples of every day items.

15. Spectroscopy: Definition and Types

In this video lesson, we will introduce and discuss different spectroscopic techniques used by scientists in an analytical lab. We will understand the importance of these techniques and show how they can be employed in identification and analysis.

$Diffraction & Huygen's Principle$

16. Diffraction & Huygen's Principle

After watching this video, you will be able to explain what diffraction is, provide some real-life examples of diffraction, state Huygen's Principle, and explain how Huygen's Principle applies to those real-life examples. A short quiz will follow.

17. Mirrors: Difference Between Plane & Spherical

After watching this lesson, you will be able to explain what a mirror is and how plane mirrors and spherical mirrors are different, including the images they produce. A short quiz will follow.

18. Thin Lenses: Types & Measurement

We are around many thin lenses throughout our daily lives, but most of us don't really know what this means. In this lesson, we'll explore the measurements of lenses, the common types of thin lenses, and the different ways they affect light.

19. How the Combination of Lenses Improves Optical Aberration

Even the best simple lenses can come with some basic problems. In this lesson, we'll examine the issue of optical aberrations and see how we can fix them with more complex lenses.

20. Ray Tracing with Mirrors: Reflected Images

After watching this lesson, you will be able to explain what a mirror is and use ray tracing diagrams, along with the law of reflection, to explain what you see when you look in a mirror. A short quiz will follow.

Chapter Practice Exam

Test your knowledge of this chapter with a 30 question practice chapter exam.

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Practice Final Exam

Test your knowledge of the entire course with a 50 question practice final exam.

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