refraction of waves
what is refraction?
when a wave changes direction as it enters a different medium.
refraction in a glass block
wave slows down and bends towards the normal due to entering a more dense medium.
wave speeds up and bends away from the normal due to entering a less dense medium.
what is a wavefront?
a wavefront is a line showing all of the points on a wave that are in the same position as each other after a given number of wavelengths.
refraction using wavefront diagram
when the first wavefront starts to move into the glass, those parts of the wavefronts slow down.
this causes those parts of the wavefronts to get closer together.
their wavelength gets smaller.
this causes the waves to change direction towards the normal.
the waves are refracting.