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Refraction Definition
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another (e.g., from air to water).
Cause of Refraction
Cause of Refraction
It happens because light changes speed when it moves between materials with different densities.
Faster in air, slower in water or glass → Light bends toward the normal.
Slower in water, faster in air → Light bends away from the normal.
Refraction Examples in Everyday Life:
Refraction Examples in Everyday Life:
A pencil or straw appears bent in water due to refraction.
Looming is a type of atmospheric refraction where distant objects appear raised above the horizon, sometimes even lifting objects normally below it.
Looming is due to the bending of light rays caused by temperature inversions.
Prisms and Rainbows:
Prisms and Rainbows:
A prism refracts light
A prism refracts light
A prism separates white light into colors because different colors refract at different angles.
Violet refracts the most.
Red refracts the least.
A drop of rain separates white light into colors because different colors refract at different angles.
Snells's Law
Snells's Law
Laws of Refraction (Snell’s Law - Simplified)
The amount of bending depends on the angle of incidence and the refractive index of the material.
Shorter wavelengths of light bend more when entering a medium, resulting in a higher refractive index for those wavelengths. Violet refracts more. Red refracts less.
Definitions:
Definitions:
Angle of Incidence – This is the angle between an incoming light ray and an imaginary line (called the “normal”) that is drawn straight up from the surface where the light hits.
Angle of Reflection – This is the angle between a light ray that bounces off a surface and the normal line. It is always equal to the angle of incidence.
Angle of Refraction – This is the angle between a light ray that passes into a new material (like from air to water) and the normal line. The ray bends because light travels at different speeds in different materials.
Incident Ray – The incoming light ray that hits a surface.
Reflected Ray – The light ray that bounces off a surface after hitting it.
Refracted Ray – The light ray that bends when it enters a different material, like from air into water or glass.
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