Refraction

Question 1

Refraction

Answer 1

When waves change direction as they pass from 1 medium to another

Question 2

If the incidence ray hits the other medium straight on what will happen

Answer 2

It will continue travelling in the same direction

Question 3

If the ray is travelling from a low to high refractive index, what will happen to the refracted ray

Answer 3

The refracted ray will bend towards the normal (i > r)

Question 4

If the ray is travelling from a high to low refractive index, what will happen to the refracted ray

Answer 4

The refracted ray will bend away from the normal (r > i)

Question 5

How to draw ray diagrams for refraction (low to high)

Answer 5

1. Draw the medium the ray is striking (make sure to put arrows on rays)
2. Draw the ray striking
3. Draw the normal (perpendicular to the point of incidence and surface)
4. Draw the refracted ray bending towards the normal
5. As the refracted ray is now passing from high to low refractive index, draw the emergent ray (ray passing out of the medium) bending away from the normal
6. Highlight the angle of incidence and angle of refraction

Question 6

If the speed of the wave changes as it passes from one medium to another, what does that tell us in terms of the wave speed equation

Answer 6

wave speed = Frequency x Wavelength

If speed is changing therefore frequency or wavelength is changing BUT we know that frequency is always constant so we know wavelength is changing

Question 7

Speed of wave is directly proportional to what

Answer 7

Wavelength

Question 8

How does a prism work

Answer 8

As white light (contains all colors of the visible spectrum) is passed through a triangular prism, the rays disperse in the medium. The colors are all at different speeds as they are different wavelengths of the visible spectrum so all the colors are separated as they emerge from the prism with red being the fastest and the one on top