Refaction Flashcards
When a wave crosses a boundary between two materials what happens
Changes speeds
If the wave is travelling along the normal what happens
It will change speed but not be refracted
If the wave hits the boundary at an angle what happens
It changes direction so it is refracted
If the wave slows down what will happen to the wave
It bends towards the normal
If the wave speeds up what happens
It bends away from the normal
How much something is refracted is based on what ?
If the wave speeds up or slows down which depends on the density of the two materials
What is the optical density of a material
How quickly light can travel through it - the higher it is the slower the light waves travelling through
Ray diagram for refracted light ray
1) draw two black lines - boundary
2) in the middle draw dotted line this is the normal
3) draw incident ray with the dotted line and boundary
4) angle of incidence drawn
5) draw refracted ray on other side
If second material optically denser what happens
Angel of refraction is smaller
