Refraction and Related Phenomena

A collection of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to refraction, its principles, and associated phenomena.

Refraction

The bending or change in the direction of light when it travels from one medium into another.

Index of Refraction

A ratio between the speed of light in air and the speed of light in another medium.

Critical Angle

The angle of incidence that results in an angle of refraction of 90°.

Total Internal Reflection

The phenomenon where light reflects entirely within a denser medium instead of refracting when it hits the boundary with a less dense medium at a certain angle.

Apparent Depth

The distance from the surface of a medium to where an object appears to be located due to refraction.

Dispersion

The separation of white light into its spectrum of colors when it passes through a prism.

Mirage

A virtual image that forms as a result of refraction and total internal reflection in Earth's atmosphere.

Retro-Reflector

An optical device that returns any incident light back in exactly the same direction it came from.

Fiber Optics

A technology that uses light to transmit information along a glass cable, relying on total internal reflection.

Flattened Sun Effect

The appearance of the sun being flattened during sunset due to varying refraction of light rays from different parts of the sun.

Mirage

A mirage is a virtual image that forms as a result of refraction and total internal reflection in Earth’s atmosphere