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Questions and Answers
What causes the bending of light rays when they pass through substances of different refractive indices?
What causes the bending of light rays when they pass through substances of different refractive indices?
Refraction
The speed of light is constant, regardless of the medium it travels through.
The speed of light is constant, regardless of the medium it travels through.
False
What is the formula for calculating the speed of light in a medium?
What is the formula for calculating the speed of light in a medium?
v = c/n
What happens to the direction of a light ray when it moves from a medium with a lower index of refraction to a medium with a higher index of refraction?
What happens to the direction of a light ray when it moves from a medium with a lower index of refraction to a medium with a higher index of refraction?
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What happens to the direction of a light ray when it moves from a medium with a higher index of refraction to a medium with a lower index of refraction?
What happens to the direction of a light ray when it moves from a medium with a higher index of refraction to a medium with a lower index of refraction?
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What is the name of the law that describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction?
What is the name of the law that describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction?
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Snell's Law is represented by the equation ______ sin 01 = ______ sin 02
Snell's Law is represented by the equation ______ sin 01 = ______ sin 02
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What is the index of refraction for air?
What is the index of refraction for air?
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What is the index of refraction for water?
What is the index of refraction for water?
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What is the index of refraction for diamond?
What is the index of refraction for diamond?
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What is the index of refraction for zircon?
What is the index of refraction for zircon?
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The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence.
The angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence.
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What determines the amount of refraction?
What determines the amount of refraction?
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Study Notes
Refraction
- Light changes direction when entering a different medium.
- This is called refraction.
- Refraction is related to the speed of light in the medium (v = c/n).
- Refraction is seen in fish tanks, lenses, and optical fibers.
- The angle of the refracted ray depends on the refractive indices of the two mediums.
- The angle of refraction changes with the speed of light changes.
- The law of refraction (Snell's law) describes the relationship between the incident angle, refracted angle, and refractive indices of the mediums: n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂ (where n₁, n₂ are the refractive indices of medium 1 and 2, and θ₁ and θ₂ are the angles between the ray and a perpendicular to the surface.)
Example 1.4.1: Determining the Index of Refraction
- Find the index of refraction for medium 2 when light enters from air (n₁ =1.00) at an incident angle of 30.0° and refracts at an angle of 22.0°
- Use Snell's Law (n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂).
- Index of refraction for medium 2 is 1.33.
Example 1.4.2: A Larger Change in Direction
- Light goes from air (n₁=1.00) to diamond (n₂=2.419) at an incident angle of 30°.
- Calculate the angle of refraction in diamond.
- The angle of refraction is 11.9°. (significantly smaller than in water which is 22.0°)
- The change in refraction is greater when the change in the index of refraction is larger.
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