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Physics: Refraction of Light

Light changes direction when moving between transparent materials due to a change in speed. This bending is called refraction. There are three main laws of refraction: 1) the incident ray, refracted ray, and normal lie in the same plane, 2) the ratio of sines of the incident and refracted angles is a constant called the refractive index, 3) light bends toward the normal when moving to a denser medium and away from the normal when moving to a rarer medium. Total internal reflection occurs when light hits the boundary between media at an angle greater than the critical angle and is fully reflected rather than refracted.

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65 views21 pages

Physics: Refraction of Light

Light changes direction when moving between transparent materials due to a change in speed. This bending is called refraction. There are three main laws of refraction: 1) the incident ray, refracted ray, and normal lie in the same plane, 2) the ratio of sines of the incident and refracted angles is a constant called the refractive index, 3) light bends toward the normal when moving to a denser medium and away from the normal when moving to a rarer medium. Total internal reflection occurs when light hits the boundary between media at an angle greater than the critical angle and is fully reflected rather than refracted.

Uploaded by

D Angela
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PHYSICS

Refraction Of
Light
Refraction Of Light
• When a ray of light , travelling through one medium
strikes obliquely the surface of an other transparent
medium, then there is change in its direction in the
second medium. This change is called Refraction of
light.
• Light refracts at boundary( b/w two mediums )
because of change in its speed.
Laws Of Refraction Of Light
 Incident ray, refracted ray and normal lie in the same
plane.
 The ratio of sine of angle of incident to the sine of
angle of refraction is constant in any two transparent
mediums, which is termed refractive index (n).
Law of Refraction
• If ray of light enters from rare into denser medium it
bends towards the normal. But when enters from
denser into rare medium, it bends away from the
normal.
From a less dense to a denser medium
• e.g. from air to glass

normal
air
glass

• Light is bent towards the normal.


From a denser to a less dense medium
• e.g. from water to air

normal

water
air

• Light is
bent away
Useful words to describe refraction of light
angle of
incidence

normal
air
glass

angle of refraction
Refractive index and speed
of light
vacuum (or air)
3  108 m
water (n = 1.33) fastest
2.25  108 m
glass (n = 1.5)
2  108 m

Refractive index
Speed of light diamond
(snol =w2e.s4t2)
1.25  108 m
Refractive Index (n) Of Different Materials
Prism
• It is transparent body (Glass) ,
commonly having three sides
rectangular and two sides triangular.
Refraction of light through prism
Total Internal Reflection
 If ray of light passes from a denser
medium( water ) into a rare medium (air )
then it bends away from the normal.
 Now increasing the angle of
incidence, angle of refraction also
increases.
Total Internal Reflection
 At certain stage the angle of incidence has increased
so much that the corresponding value of angle of
refraction becomes equal to 90o and refracted ray
lies on the surface of denser medium.
 The angle of incidence for which the angle
of refraction is 90o is called the critical angle.
Total Internal Reflection
 Now if the value of angle of incidence is increased
so much that it becomes greater than critical angle,
then there is no more refraction but whole of it is
reflected back in the denser medium.
 Such reflection of light is called total internal
reflection.
Images Formed By Convex Lens
Images Formed By Convex Lens

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