Refraction and Lenses - Mission RL5 Detailed Help


A ray of light moving through Lucite is approaching a Lucite-air boundary. This ray of light will refract at the boundary. If the angle of incidence is increased, then the angle of refraction will be _____.


 
Snell's Law of Refraction:
The refraction of light towards or away from the normal follows a very predictable mathematical relationship known as Snell's law.
 
n1 • sin Θ1 = n2 • sin Θ2

where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction of the two individual media and Θ1 and Θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction within those media. Knowing any three of the four quantities in the equation allows one to predict the fourth variable.


 
Refraction at a boundary is mathematically described by the Snell's law equation. The equation shows that the angle of refraction is dependent upon the angle of incidence. According to the equation, as the angle of incidence is increased, the angle of refraction is increased.