Refraction

Question 1

What is refraction?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Why does light bend when it travels?

Answer 2

Because of the speed the light travels in

Question 3

What separates the incident ray and the refracted ray for them to be on opposite sides?

Answer 3

The line called boundary

Question 4

Where does light bend when the when the speed of light in the second medium is slower than the speed of light in the first medium?

Answer 4

Towards

Question 5

Is the second medium faster or slower than the first medium when light bends away?

Answer 5

Faster

Question 6

What is the process of separating white light into its spectrum of colours by refraction called?

Answer 6

Dispersion

Question 7

What happens to a ray of light as it is passed through a prism

Answer 7

it refracts at the prism’s surfaces due to the varying speeds of different wavelengths, causing the ray to bend. This dispersion separates the light into its colors, creating a spectrum ranging from violet (which refracts the most) to red (which refracts the least).

Question 8

What is the most common type of dispersion?

Answer 8

Formation of rainbow

Question 9

How is a rainbow formed?

Answer 9

When sunlight enters a raindrop, some is reflected and some enters the drop and undergoes refraction twice—upon entering and exiting—resulting in the dispersion of white sunlight into the colors of the spectrum due to the different wavelengths.

Question 10

What is partial reflection and refraction?

Answer 10

When some of the light that is travelling from 1 medium into another is reflected and some is refracted at the boundary between the media

Question 11

What depends on the angle of incidence and densities?

Answer 11

The amount of reflection compared to the amount of refraction

Question 12

Rear-view mirror in car (convex)

Answer 12

Reflects light into the driver’s eyes

Question 13

Rear-view mirror in car (convex): Daytime

Answer 13

This setting directs most of the light to the driver’s eyes

Question 14

Rear-view mirror in car (convex): Nighttime

Answer 14

This setting directs most of the light away from the driver’s eyes

Question 15

Critical angle: What will happen to the Angle of refraction if the angle of incidence increases?

Answer 15

The angle of refraction will keep getting closer to 90 degrees

Question 16

What is total internal reflection?

Answer 16

When the angle of incidence is larger than the critical angle, NO light is refracted into the 2nd medium. INSTEAD, all the light is reflected back into the 1st medium

Question 17

Where is total internal reflection phenomenon applied?

Answer 17

Binoculars, retro-reflectors, optical fibres in telecommunications, medicine and in making the perfect cut diamond.