Electromagnetic Waves and Refraction

These flashcards cover key vocabulary from the lecture on electromagnetic waves, reflection, refraction, and related concepts in physics.

Electromagnetic Waves

Waves that have both electric and magnetic field components and travel through space.

Reflection

The bouncing back of waves when they hit a surface.

Refraction

The bending of waves as they pass from one medium to another and change speed.

Angle of Incidence

The angle formed between the incident ray and the normal line at the surface.

Normal Line

An imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence.

Speed of Light

The speed at which light travels in a vacuum, approximately 3.0 x 10^8 meters per second.

Refractive Index

A ratio that describes how much the speed of light is reduced in a given medium compared to a vacuum.

Critical Angle

The angle of incidence above which total internal reflection occurs.

Total Internal Reflection

The phenomenon that occurs when light cannot pass through a boundary and is entirely reflected back into the original medium.

Snell's Law

A formula used to describe the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction for a wave crossing the interface between two media.