Refaction

Question 1

What is refraction?

Answer 1

The bending or change in direction of light as it travels from one medium into another

Question 2

What is the speed of light in Water

Answer 2

2.26x 10 to the power of 8 metres per second

Question 3

What are the rules for refraction?

Answer 3

1. The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.
2. Light bends toward the normal when the ray travels from a faster medium into a slower medium.
   Light bends away from the normal when the ray travels from a slower medium into a faster medium.

Question 4

What is the index of refraction (n)?

Answer 4

The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum (c) to the speed of light in a medium (v)

Question 5

What happens when light travels from one medium into another

Answer 5

Some of it reflected and some refracted

Question 6

What is the critical angle?

Answer 6

The angle of incidence that results in an angle of refraction of 90

Question 7

What is Total internal Reflection?

Answer 7

The situation when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle

Question 8

What are the conditions for Total Internal reflection ?

Answer 8

1. Light must be travelling from the slower medium into the faster medium
2. The angie of incidence is larger enough that no refraction occurs into the 2nd medium. (The angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle).

Question 9

Water has a critical angle of?

Answer 9

48.8

Question 10

Jewels and diamonds gave what in common?

Answer 10

They have a high index of refraction

Question 11

What is a retro reflector?

Answer 11

A optical device that returns any incident light back in exactly the same direction it came from

Question 12

What is apparent depth ?

Answer 12

The depth an object appears to be at due to the refraction of light

Question 13

Why does the sun appear to look flattened?

Answer 13

When the sun is near the horizon light comes from the bottom of the sun is refracted more than light from the top of the sun

Question 14

Why does cooler air into warmer air (when traveling) the light bends?

Answer 14

The index of refraction for air decreases as the air gets warmer

Question 15

What is a mirage?

Answer 15

A virtual image that forms as a result of refraction and total internal reflection

Question 16

What causes shimmering?

Answer 16

As on a lake, is caused by light traveling through air layers of different temperatures. As the wind blows the air particles around the different temperature layers mix

Question 17

What is shimmering?

Answer 17

A visual effect caused bu light traveling at slightly different speeds through air layers of different temperatures

Question 18

Who discovered the rainbow?

Answer 18

Sir Issac Newton

Question 19

What did Sir Isaac Newton discover?

Answer 19

That a triangular prism glass disperses visible (white) light into its spectrum

Question 20

Why does the rainbow occur?

Answer 20

because visible light is separated into spectrum, as it is refracted through rain drops

Question 21

What is dispersion?

Answer 21

The separation of white light into its constituent colours