Refraction

Question 1

What is refraction?

Answer 1

Refraction is the bending of light as it travels from one medium to another.

Question 2

(T or F) Refraction does not (potentially) affect the speed or direction of a light ray travelling from one medium to another.

Answer 2

False, the speed and/or the direction of light could change when travelling from one medium to another.

Question 3

Explain why light changes direction, using the example of a truck driving through mud.

Answer 3

If you imagine a truck driving on the road onto mud, the wheel in front would hit the mud first so the truck slows down. The other wheel, however, will keep going on the road, until it reaches the mud, pushing the truck in a different direction. This is similar to when light travels from (e.g) glass to air.

Question 4

What happens when light travels from a less dense medium to a more dense medium?

Answer 4

Light bends towards the normal.

Question 5

What happens when light travels from a more dense medium to a less dense medium?

Answer 5

Light bends away from the normal.