Wave Refraction and Wavefront Diagrams

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, mechanisms, and diagrammatic conventions of wave refraction and wavefronts based on the lecture.

Refraction

The change in direction of waves that occurs when they change speed moving from one medium to another.

Normal

A reference line drawn at right angles to the surface of a medium (such as glass) to show wave direction changes in a ray diagram.

Bending towards the normal

The directional change that occurs when a wave's velocity decreases and it slows down, such as light passing from air into glass.

Bending away from the normal

The directional change that occurs when a wave's velocity increases and it speeds up, such as light passing from glass back into air.

Wavefront

An imaginary line that connects all the same points (such as all peaks or all troughs) in a set of waves travelling together.

Wavelength change during refraction

The decrease in distance between wavefronts (becoming smaller) that occurs when parts of the wavefront enter a medium and slow down, causing them to get closer together.

Entering along the normal

The condition in which waves enter or leave a medium at right angles to the surface, resulting in no change in direction because the entire wavefront slows down at the same time.