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Class 10 Science Chapter 10 – The Human Eye and the Colourful World: Quick Revision Notes
- Power of accommodation: ability of the eye lens to adjust focal length via ciliary muscles
- Near point (normal eye) ≈ 25 cm; Far point (normal eye) = infinity
- Myopia (near-sightedness): distant objects blurred, far point < infinity → corrected with a concave (diverging) lens
- Hypermetropia (far-sightedness): near objects blurred, near point > 25 cm → corrected with a convex (converging) lens
- Presbyopia: age-related loss of accommodation → corrected with bifocal lenses
- Power of a lens: P = 1/f (f in metres); unit = dioptre (D)
- Concave lens → negative power; Convex lens → positive power
- Atmospheric refraction: bending of light due to continuously varying density of air
- Twinkling of stars: caused by atmospheric refraction of starlight through layers of varying density
- Planets do not twinkle: extended sources, twinkling effects of many points average out
- Advance sunrise / delayed sunset: each about 2 minutes, due to atmospheric refraction
- Tyndall effect: scattering of light by colloidal-sized particles
- Blue colour of sky: shorter wavelengths (blue/violet) scattered more by atmospheric molecules
- Reddish sun at sunrise/sunset: longer atmospheric path scatters away blue light, red light reaches the eye
- Sky appears black to astronauts: no atmosphere at high altitude to scatter sunlight
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