The Refraction of Light

Refraction of Light

• Definition: Change in direction of light as it passes from one medium to another with different optical densities.

Understanding Refraction

• Change in direction of light due to change in speed as it crosses different media.

Laws of Refraction

• Light travels based on the optical density of mediums.

• Snell's Law: n1sinθ1=n2sinθ2.

• Incident ray, refracted ray, normal all lie in the same plane.

Index of Refraction

• Ratio of speed of light in a vacuum vs in a material (n= C/V).

• Higher index indicates slower light speed.

• Typical values given for various materials (e.g., air, water, glass).