General Physics 2 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Lesson 10.4 Law of Refraction
‹#› Is the light really crooked in this photo?
‹#› Is the branch in this photo really broken?
‹#› Do not let your eyes deceive you. Those are just the applications of refraction. In this lesson, we will discuss how light refract.
‹#› Why does light refract?
‹#› Apply Snell’s Law (STEM-GP12OPTIVb-15). Explain the conditions for total internal reflection (STEM-GP12OPTIVb-14).
‹#› Solve problems involving reflection and refraction in contexts such as, but not limited to (polarizing) sunglasses, atmospheric rainbows, and haloes. (STEM-GP12OPTIVb-21).
‹#› Infer how the refractive index affects the optical density of a material. Explain how light refracts. State Snell’s law.
‹#› Determine the conditions of total internal reflection. Solve problems related to the refraction and total internal reflection of light. Identify applications of refraction and total internal reflection in daily life.
‹#› Light is refracted when it travels at a particular angle ( θ b ) into a medium or substance that has a different refractive index, as shown. Refraction
‹#› Refractive index (n) or index of refraction refers to the ratio of the speed of light in free space to that of its speed in a given medium. A material’s refractive index is determined by its optical density , or the “inert tendency” of a material’s molecules to keep the absorbed energy of an EM wave in the form of oscillating electrons before releasing it back as a new disturbance. Refractive Index
‹#› It may also be understood as the measure of the bending of the light ray as it travels from one medium to another. This is given by: Refractive Index
‹#› Common Refractive Indices Material Refractive Index (n) vacuum 1.0000 air 1.0003 ice 1.31 water 1.333 ethyl alcohol 1.36 plexiglass 1.51 crown glass 1.52
‹#› Material Refractive Index (n) light flint glass 1.58 dense flint glass 1.66 zircon 1.923 diamond 2.417 rutile 2.907 Gallium phosphide 3.50 germanium 4.01-4.05 light flint glass 1.58 Common Refractive Indices
‹#› How does a material’s refractive index affect its optical density?
‹#› Optical density must not be confused with mass density (mass per unit volume). The more optically dense an object is, the slower that a wave will travel through that material.
‹#› How does reflection and refraction differ? Refraction of Light
‹#› Snell’s law (or the Law of Refraction) describes the relationship between the angle of incidence θ a and angle of refraction θ b as light passes through two different media. Snell’s Law
‹#› Mathematically, it states that the ratio of the sines of the angle of incidence θ a and angle of refraction θ b (considering both are measured relative to the normal to the surface) is equivalent to the inverse ratio of the two indices of refraction. Snell’s Law
‹#› Applications of Snell’s Law Snell’s Law
‹#› Total Internal Reflection
‹#› Total internal reflection happens when a light ray from a material (a) is incident (or forms an angle of incidence) on a second material (b) with a refractive index smaller than that of a, such that n b > n a .
‹#› Under what conditions does total internal reflection occurs?
‹#› The speed of light as it passes through an unknown material is measured at 2.13 ✕ 10 8 m/s. Determine the material’s index of refraction.
‹#› The speed of light as it passes through an unknown material is measured at 2.13 ✕ 10 8 m/s. Determine the material’s index of refraction. The refractive index of the unknown material is 1.40. This is the refractive index of a fluoropolymer.
‹#› ‹#› A light ray has a speed of 1.99 ✕ 10 8 m/s as it passes through another unknown medium. What is the material’s index of refraction?
‹#› A laser beam travelling in air pierces through ethyl alcohol at an angle of incidence of 25.15 o . Determine the angle of refraction.
‹#› A laser beam travelling in air pierces through ethyl alcohol at an angle of incidence of 25.15 o . Determine the angle of refraction. The angle of refraction is 18.22 o .
‹#› ‹#› Light initially beamed on air hits a plexiglass at an incidence angle of 40 o . What angle of refraction will result from this interaction?
‹#› An incident ray strikes surface AB of a glass prism in the figure that has a 1.52 index of refraction. Determine the (a) critical angle and (b) the largest value that α may have without any light refracted out at the surface AC of the prism if the prism is immersed in air.
‹#› An incident ray strikes surface AB of a glass prism in the figure that has a 1.52 index of refraction. Determine the (a) critical angle and (b) the largest value that α may have without any light refracted out at the surface AC of the prism if the prism is immersed in air? The critical angle is 41.13 o . The largest possible value of α is 48.86 o .
‹#› ‹#› Suppose the prism on the previous example is now submerged in water. Solve for the (a) critical angle and the (b) largest possible of α if total internal reflection will occur on Surface AC as a light ray strikes it.
‹#› Identify what is being referred to in each of the following statements. Light is refracted when it travels at a particular angle into a material that has a ____________________ refractive index. The refractive index refers to the ratio of the speed of light in ____________________ to that of its speed in ____________________. Free space has a refractive index of ____________________.
‹#› Identify the refractive index of each of the following media. Medium Refractive Index Speed of Light in the medium cubic zirconia _________________ 1.39 ✕ 10 8 m/s crown glass _________________ 1.97 ✕ 10 8 m/s quartz _________________ 1.95 ✕ 10 8 m/s
‹#› Refraction refers to the bending of light at a certain angle θ b when it passes through a different medium. The refractive index ( n ) or index of refraction refers to the ratio of the speed of light in free space to that of its speed in a given medium.
A material’s refractive index is determined by its optical density , or the “sluggish tendency” of a material’s molecules to keep the absorbed energy of an EM wave in the form of oscillating electrons before releasing it back as a new disturbance. Snell’s law (or the Law of Refraction) describes the relationship between the angle of incidence θ a and angle of refraction θ b as light passes through two different media. ‹#›
A light ray passing through a material with a larger refractive index bends toward the normal to the surface. The opposite holds true. A ray oriented along the normal will not bend, regardless of the composition of the medium. ‹#›
Total internal reflection happens when a light ray from a material (a) is incident (or forms an angle of incidence) on a second material (b) with a refractive index smaller than that of a , such that n b > n a . ‹#›
‹#› Concept Formula Description Snell’s Law of Refraction where n is the material’s refractive index (either object a or b); c is the speed of light in free space, and v is the speed of light through the material. Use this formula to solve for the refractive index of a material.
‹#› Concept Formula Description Refractive Index/ Index of Refraction where n is the material’s refractive index, and θ is the angle of incidence (a) or refraction (b) from the normal to the surface. Use this relationship to derive the formulas for the unknown values related to Snell’s law.
‹#› Concept Formula Description Total Internal Reflection where θ crit is the critical angle for total internal reflection; n b is the index of refraction of the second material, and n a is the index of refraction of the first material. Use this formula to solve for the critical angle when the conditions of TIR are observed.
‹#› ‹#› Can reflection and refraction occur at the same time from a single interface? Justify your answer.
‹#› Faughn, Jerry S. and Raymond A. Serway. Serway’s College Physics (7th ed) . Singapore: Brooks/Cole, 2006. Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics Principles with Applications (7th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2014. Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Kenneth Krane. Fundamentals of Physics (5th ed) . USA: Wiley, 2002. Knight, Randall D. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach (4th ed) . USA: Pearson Education, 2017. Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (9th ed) . USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014. Walker, James S. Physics (5th ed) . USA: Pearson Education, 2017. Young, Hugh D., Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with Modern Physics (13th ed) . USA: Pearson Education, 2012.