What is the difference between refraction and reflection?
Refraction: Bending of light as it passes through a medium. | Reflection: Bouncing of light off a surface.
What is the difference between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction?
Angle of Incidence: The angle between the incident ray and the normal. | Angle of Refraction: The angle between the refracted ray and the normal.
Compare and contrast internal reflection and total internal reflection.
Internal Reflection: Some light reflects at the boundary. | Total Internal Reflection: All light reflects at the boundary (occurs when the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle).
What are the steps to calculate the angle of refraction using Snell's Law?
1. Identify the indices of refraction (n1 and n2) of both materials. 2. Determine the angle of incidence (ฮธ1). 3. Use Snell's Law ($$n_1 \sin \theta_1 = n_2 \sin \theta_2$$) to solve for the angle of refraction (ฮธ2).
Outline the process of total internal reflection.
1. Light travels from a medium with a higher refractive index to one with a lower refractive index. 2. The angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle. 3. All light reflects back into the higher index medium.
How do you determine if total internal reflection will occur?
1. Identify the refractive indices of both media (n1 and n2). 2. Calculate the critical angle using $$ heta_{\text{critical}} = \sin^{-1}\left(\frac{n_2}{n_1}\right)$$. 3. Compare the angle of incidence to the critical angle. If the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, total internal reflection occurs.
What are the steps to find the index of refraction?
1. Measure the speed of light (v) in the medium. 2. Recall the speed of light in a vacuum (c โ 3 ร 10โธ m/s). 3. Calculate the index of refraction using the formula n = c/v.
What are the steps to determine the critical angle?
1. Identify the indices of refraction (n1 and n2) of both materials, where n1 > n2. 2. Use the formula $$ heta_{\text{critical}} = \sin^{-1}\left(\frac{n_2}{n_1}\right)$$ to calculate the critical angle.
What is the effect of light entering a medium with a higher index of refraction?
The light bends towards the normal and slows down.
What happens if the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle when light tries to move from a higher to a lower index of refraction?
Total internal reflection occurs; all light is reflected back into the original medium.
What is the effect of increasing the difference in refractive indices between two media?
The amount of bending (refraction) of light increases.
What is the effect of light hitting a surface perpendicularly?
The light does not bend and passes straight through the surface.
What is the effect of light traveling from water to air at an angle less than the critical angle?
The light will refract away from the normal, and some light will be reflected.
