Refraction of Light Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. This phenomenon can occur when light travels from a medium w...
Refraction of Light
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. This phenomenon can occur when light travels from a medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive index. The refractive index is a measure of how well a medium can transmit light.
Key Points:
Light always travels in a straight line until it encounters a boundary between two media with different refractive indices.
The angle of incidence (the angle between the incident ray and the normal to the boundary) and the angle of refraction (the angle between the refracted ray and the normal) are related by Snell's law: n = sin(θ_i) / sin(θ_r), where n is the refractive index, θ_i is the angle of incidence, and θ_r is the angle of refraction.
Refraction can cause the incident ray to bend towards the normal, or it can cause the refracted ray to bend away from the normal.
Refraction is used in various applications, such as eyeglasses, lenses, and prisms