A ray of light is incident at an angle 30.0° on a plane slab of flint glass surrounded by water. (a) Find the refraction angle. (b) Suppose the index of refraction of the surrounding medium can be adjusted, but the incident angle of the light remains the same. As the index of refraction of the medium approaches that of the glass, what happens to the refraction angle? (c) What happens to the refraction angle when the medium’s index of refraction exceeds that of the glass?
Refraction of Light
Refraction is a change in the direction of light rays when they travel from one medium to another. It is the bending of light when it goes through different media.
Angle of Refraction
Light is considered by many scientists to have dual nature, both particle nature and wave nature. First, Particle nature is one in which we consider a stream of packets of energy called photons. Second, Wave nature is considering light as electromagnetic radiation whereas part of it is perceived by humans. Visible spectrum defined by humans lies in a range of 400 to 700 nm wavelengths.
Index of Refraction of Diamond
Diamond, the world’s hardest naturally occurring material and mineral known, is a solid form of the element carbon. The atoms are arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. They exist in a huge variety of colours. Also, they are one of the best conductors of heat and have a very high melting point.
A ray of light is incident at an angle 30.0° on a plane slab of flint glass surrounded by water. (a) Find the refraction angle. (b) Suppose the index of refraction of the surrounding medium can be adjusted, but the incident angle of the light remains the same. As the index of refraction of the medium approaches that of the glass, what happens to the refraction angle? (c) What happens to the refraction angle when the medium’s index of refraction exceeds that of the glass?
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