5.1 Refraction of light Flashcards
what do light rays represent
the direction of travel of wavefronts
what is the normal
an imaginary line perpendicular to a boundary between to materials or a surface
what is refraction
the change of direction that occurs when light passes at an angle across a boundary between to transparent substances
when does the light ray bend towards the normal
if it passes into a denser substance e.g from air to glass
when does the light ray bend away from the normal
If it passes into a less dense substance e.g glass to air
when does no refraction take place
if the incident ray is along the normal
investigating the refraction of light by glass
what is the ratio of sin I / sin R known as
Snells law
or the refractive index of the substance (n)
when does partial reflection occur
when a light ray in the air enters any refractive substance
why is the angle of refraction emerging from a glass block the same as the angle of incidence of the light ray entering the block
this is because the 2 sides of the block at which refraction occurs are parallel to eachother
what will the refractive index be when the light ray leaves the block
sin I 2 / sin R 2 = 1/n
where does light refract towards when it enters a trianglular prism
refracts towards the normal when it enters into the glass prism
where does light refract towards when it leaves a triangular prism
refracts away from the normal when it leaves
