What is the difference between refraction and reflection?
Refraction: Bending of light as it passes through a medium. | Reflection: Bouncing of light off a surface.
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What is the difference between refraction and reflection?
Refraction: Bending of light as it passes through a medium. | Reflection: Bouncing of light off a surface.
What is the difference between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction?
Angle of Incidence: The angle between the incident ray and the normal. | Angle of Refraction: The angle between the refracted ray and the normal.
Compare and contrast internal reflection and total internal reflection.
Internal Reflection: Some light reflects at the boundary. | Total Internal Reflection: All light reflects at the boundary (occurs when the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle).
What is refraction?
The bending of light as it moves between different materials due to changes in its speed.
Define 'index of refraction (n)'.
A measure of how much light slows down in a material compared to its speed in a vacuum; calculated as n = c/v, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum and v is the speed of light in the medium.
What is Snell's Law?
The relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction when light passes between two materials with different refractive indices: $$n_1 sin heta_1 = n_2 sin heta_2$$.
Define 'critical angle'.
The smallest angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs; calculated as $$\theta_{\text{critical}} = \sin^{-1}\left(\frac{n_2}{n_1}\right)$$.
What is total internal reflection?
The phenomenon where light is completely reflected back into the original material when it tries to move from a higher index of refraction to a lower one at an angle greater than the critical angle.
What is the effect of increasing the index of refraction on the speed of light in a medium?
The speed of light decreases.
What happens when light travels from a medium with a higher index of refraction to a lower one at an angle greater than the critical angle?
Total internal reflection occurs; the light is completely reflected back into the original medium.
What is the effect of light hitting a surface perpendicularly?
The light passes straight through without bending (no refraction).
What happens when light travels from air to water?
The light slows down and bends towards the normal.
What happens to the angle of refraction when light travels from a higher index of refraction to a lower index of refraction?
The angle of refraction increases, bending away from the normal.