Refraction Definition and 751 Threads

  1. A

    Brewster's angle, dipole radiation and refraction

    So I was wondering how it is possible that there will be no p-pol light reflected when the refracted light is at 90 degrees to the reflected light (so incoming light is at Brewster's angle). The Brewster's angle was explained to me by saying that the electrons in the medium radiate light...
  2. M

    Combination lens equation questions

    Homework Statement: Lens questions. Homework Equations: idk Hello, so I was wanting to use a laser beam and purchase a few lens' online for a project and wanted to get something similar to the image below, where i would end with a horizontal light ray i was wondering if anyone knows the...
  3. D

    Optics: refraction and reflection

    Homework Statement: I have no idea how to start with this problem. I am trying to look for all the incident angles, refraction and reflection angles. And i don't know what the two radii are doing with y. Homework Equations: critical angle = arcsin (n2/n1) snell's law for refraction...
  4. B

    Index of Refraction Uncertainty Problem

    A is the angle of refraction (~60 degrees) and Dm is the angle of minimum deviation that was different for each of the spectral lines associated to one of the six wavelengths measured. The problem I'm having is when I use equations of propagation of error to find the uncertainty in these...
  5. DPMF6973

    Index of refraction and wavelength

    The problem is multiple choice. A) refraction b) diffraction c) reflection d) dispersion An explanation would also be greatly appreciated!
  6. F

    The maximum intensity for light transmitted through a thin film

    Homework Statement A thin (460 nm) film of kerosene (n=1,20) is spread out on water (n = 1,30). Light hits the (horizontal) surface of the film coming (almost) perpendicularly from above. A diver underwater, below the film. a) Find out the visible wavelength reflected into air that has the...
  7. GabrielCoriiu

    I How to Determine N from Refraction Angles and Constants?

    I'm trying to reverse engineer refraction. So given I, R and k in the image, what is N so that sin(θ1)/sin(θ2) = k ?
  8. TachyonLord

    B Whats the principle behind Schuster Focusing?

    I know its something related to the asymmentry in the i-d curve but its still not clear.
  9. The proof of Snell’s law using springs - 3blue1brown

    The proof of Snell’s law using springs - 3blue1brown

    The law of light bending in matter. Also an important law for the proof of brachistochrone problem.
  10. M

    I Sunlight refraction at sunset at different latitudes?

    “Sunlight due to refraction is greater in higher latitudes than at the equator because of shallower angles of incidence to horizon. It takes longer for Sun to go down half a degree at sunset at shallower angles.” When I draw a diagram of sun rays incident towards the earth, the angle appears to...
  11. S

    Optimizing Dolphin Tracking: Calculating the Angle for Dart Gun Accuracy

    Homework Statement A scientist investigating the movements of dolphins in the Mediterranean uses a dart gun to shoot small, harmless tracking devices onto the fins of dolphins. When standing on deck, her hand is 1m above the water, and looking along the dart gun she is holding at an angle of...
  12. M

    The refractive index of an unknown liquid

    1. A light ray in dense flint glass that has an index of refraction of 1.655 is incident to the glass surface. An UNKNOWN liquid condenses on the glass's surface. Total internal reflection on the glass-liquid interface occurs for a minimum angle of incidence on the glass-liquid interface at...
  13. J

    How do I find the refractive index in sugar solutions?

    For class I conducted a experiment where I made sugar solutions, poured them into a glass prism container and used a laser pointer to find the refractive index. However, while typing in my results I realized I found the angle of deviation instead of the minimum angle of deviation since I didn't...
  14. C

    Is there refraction upon frustrated total internal reflection

    In frustrated total internal reflection, is there refraction corresponding to the refractive index difference between the first and third medium or does the light continue in straight line as it is usually depicted in graphic representations of the frustrated total internal reflection?
  15. jha192001

    Refraction of Light Wave: What Causes It?

    (1)What is the real cause of refraction? Light wave cannot possible have a change of speed in going onto diffrent medium hence what is going on inside actually that we say its a change of speed. (2) I am notable to comprehend how a change in wavelength not always means a change in frequency. If...
  16. YMMMA

    What Condition Ensures Refracted and Incident Rays Have the Same Direction?

    Homework Statement [/B] In order for the refracted ray R to have the same direction in space as the incident ray I, shown above, which of the following conditions by itself would be sufficient? (A) n1=n2 (B) n1=n3 (C) n2=n3 (D) Plane surface P, is parallel to plane surface P2- (E) None of the...
  17. K

    Atmospheric Refraction: Temperature, Distance, Object Shape

    Does atmospheric refraction only work at certain temperatures, distances, and shape of the object (i.e. only spheres)?
  18. B

    B Gravitational waves and refraction patterns....

    I was doing a thought experiment last night. Gravitational waves, being like any other type of wave would cancel each other out and create a refraction pattern of strength. While we do not have definitive proof there is a black hole at the center of every Galaxy, we do know, through...
  19. Elbraido

    Refraction problem (temperature dependence)

    Hi Everybody I am doing an experiment for a school project where I have chosen to see is the index of refraction changes in a body of water when the temperture changes. So I am using the angle of incidence and refraction to measure using snells law. The Problem: Obviously I need a container to...
  20. Lukejohn

    How to state the laws of refraction and apply them to....

    How do i apply the laws of refraction to plane and curved surfaces. I have absolutely no idea how to even start on this one, its got nothing to do with the course, i am going to study. i need to understand this to move on but i genuinely have absolutely no interest in optics. I really can not...
  21. S

    Refraction: object disappearing in liquid

    Homework Statement Why does an object disappear when it is placed in a liquid of refractive index equal to or greater than that of the object? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution Well, I was just baffled by the problem. Finally, i came up with an answer: we see objects when they...
  22. Nabin kalauni

    B What does coefficient of increase of physical quantity mean?

    I am extremely confused by the use of the term coefficient of increase of something. For example , if it is stated that the index of refraction varies linearly with a coefficient of 2.5×10^-5, how is this coefficient defined? Is it simply the slope of the line plotted with index of refraction on...
  23. Biker

    Turning the refraction formula into reflection: Negative index

    In refraction of spherical surfaces, We derived the formula to be: ## u_2 L^{'} = u_1 L + (u_2 - u_1) R## Where ##L^{'}## is the reciprocal of the distance of the image. ##L## is the reciprocal of the distance of the object. ##u_2## is the refractive index of the medium that the light ray is...
  24. harambe

    Bird & Fish Refraction Homework | See How Many Images

    Homework Statement A vessel is filled with water of refractive index 4/3.The height of the vessel is 60cm.A fish F is at 40 cm below the surface of water.A bird B is 30cm above the surface of water.The bottom of the vessel behaves as plane mirror. How many images of fish will be seen by the...
  25. Muhammad Danish

    Reflection and Refraction formula help

    Homework Statement 2. Homework Equations 3. The Attempt at a Solution [/B] I tried to solve this question with the general formula n=sin i / sin r. 1.5 = sin 30/sin r, r = 19.4 = 19 which is option A. But option A is incorrect. Please guide me where am I wrong..
  26. P

    Is the index of refraction constant for a given medium?

    If we have a medium (say, glass) with an index of refraction, n=1.33, the speed of light in it will be c/1.33. However, blue light travels slower in glass than does red light. Since c is constant and the speed of light is changing, doesn't that mean that the index of refraction will vary based...
  27. T

    Refraction of Ocean waves: Wide Headland vs Narrow

    When a wave encounters the shallow water of a headland the shallow section slows while the deeper section continues traveling at a faster speed. This causes refraction of the wave ray towards the shallower headland section For wave rays encountering perpendicular a shallow headland does...
  28. T

    Non Newtonian / Newtonian Fluid interface

    Suppose I have a wave tank partially filled with a shear thickening Newtonian fluid (Oobleck), on top of which sits a layer of water (separated by a thin membrane to prevent mixing) If I propagate a surface wave in the water layer how will it conduct itself at the Newtonian/Non Newtonian Fluid...
  29. J

    Refraction of wavefront in water

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I think the water waves will undergo refraction from the interface and since it is denser , it should bend towards the normal . By that logic 4) should be correct , but this is incorrect . I might be applying wrong concept in...
  30. J

    Deviation in refraction and TIR

    Homework Statement Light is incident from glass (n=1.5) to water (n=1.33). Find out the range of angle of deviation for which there are two angles of incidence. Homework Equations Snell's Law The Attempt at a Solution [/B] The lowest value of angle of deviation would be 0° when i = 0. But, I...
  31. D

    How Is the Minimum Bend Radius of a Fiber Optic Cable Determined?

    If there is a fiber optic cable with a diameter d, the index of refraction of the cladding the cable is given, and so is the index of refraction core of the cable, how would you formulate an equation for the minimum radius of bend the cable can have? Thank you in advance.
  32. C

    What is the correct formula for refraction at an interface between two media?

    Hi! I have a problem understanding what happens when a plane electromagnetic wave hits a surface consisting of two medias of different optical density. My old school litterature tells me two formulas which I really don't understand where they come from. The same teacher starts by telling me...
  33. W

    Calculating Index of Refraction with Wavelength

    Homework Statement A beam of white light goes from air into water at an incident angle of 75 deg. What is the critical angle that the violet (410 nm) parts of the light is refracted? Homework Equations n1sin(θ1)=n2sin(θ2) n=c/v c=λf The Attempt at a Solution So sure, I get that the answer is...
  34. Irfan Nafi

    Scuba Diver Sees Bird: Refraction Problem Explained

    1. The problem statement, all variables, and given/known data A scuba diver is underwater. She looks up and sees a bird flying in the sky. Compared to its actual distance, the bird appears to be... 1. Closer 2. At actual distance 3. Further Homework Equations n1sin(θ1)=n2sin(θ2) The Attempt at...
  35. T

    Refraction Convergence and Amplitude change- Ocean waves

    There are many explanations on the internet, of refraction and convergence of ocean waves entering shallow water around a headland However they all go no deeper than this statement "Where the water is shallow the wave rays converge wave energy is greater where the wave rays spread out the...
  36. T

    Wave optics / Snell's law of refraction

    When light from a rarer medium enters a denser medium, the wave gets refracted into the denser medium and so the wavelenght and the speed of propagation decreases ( [v][1] >[SUBv][/SUB2]) but the frequency remains the same. HOW ? [SUBv][/SUB1] / [SUBλ][/SUB1] = [SUBv][/SUB2] / [SUBλ][/SUB2]...
  37. K

    Does light refraction play a role in bubble iridescence?

    We know interference of waves play a role in causing "colors" on soap bubbles. But does light refraction play a role in bubble iridescence? When the light wave travels into the soap bubble surface, won't it refract since the wave is into a different matter (what matter the soap bubble surface...
  38. Gort

    I Gravitational Bending vs. Refraction

    I'd like to call attention to this paper: https://arxiv.org/ftp/physics/papers/0409/0409124.pdf I'm not trying to question the validity of GR in bending of light near a star (such as the sun), as this paper apparently does. But surely Newtonian refraction of light passing through the sun's upper...
  39. D

    I What properties allow me to see past Earth's curvature?

    I recently was able to view a 193 foot building from 24 miles away. The base of the building is approximately 15 feet above sea level and my eye level was approximately 9 feet above sea level. I was viewing the building across a Lake. I could see a substantial amount of the building, which...
  40. M

    How does the wavelength change the amount of refraction?

    Using a green laser instead of a red laser seems to change the way the ray changes during refraction. Why is that so?
  41. M

    Effect of electrical permittivity on the speed of light?

    Why does an increased electrical permittivity reduce the phase velocity of light in a medium? Furthermore, what interactions do we see on an atomic level? I am aware of the equation that defines the speed of light in terms of the electrical permittivity and magnetic permeability, but I do not...
  42. R

    Refractive index as a function of the concentration of a sugar solution

    We recently performed an experiment with the idea to find refractive index of medium (water) as a function of wavelength of light. We then added some sugar to see how the refractive index changes with concentration of sugar solution. We got the following graphs. Are the relationships actually...
  43. T

    Dependence of index of refraction on frequency

    ok so recently i was doing dispersion of light and all of sudden something that i always took for granted came across the fact that blue light refracts more than red light then i recalled snells law and realized that it had no terms with the quantity of frequency in it (n sin θ = c) then i...
  44. G

    I Overview of General Fresnel Equations + Complex IORs

    Hi, My understanding is that when light (with some frequency and polarization) hits the interface between two media (each with some frequency-dependent material properties), the Fresnel equations apply. This tells us how much light reflects back versus refracts across the interface. I'm...
  45. H

    Find the formula for refraction angle?

    Homework Statement Homework Equations Snell's Law sin tetha1/v1 = sin tetha2/v2 n1 = c/v1 n1 . sin tetha 1 = n2 . sin tetha 2 The Attempt at a Solution I try to make triangle out of line PO, so that it will have correlation to tetha, since o = center, then let's say there's point C at...
  46. 2

    How does an index of refraction affect the EM field?

    Hello. Say I have some refraction index n in a homogeneous material. Say I also have equations for the EM field (E and B vectors). Is it true to say that all that changes is the wavelength \lambda \to \frac{\lambda_0}{n} and consequently the wave vector k \to k_0 n ? Is it enough to account...
  47. Z

    Using Snell's Law for Brachistochrone Project

    Hi all, I'm after a little guidance for I do not know what is going wrong. I understand that for Johann Bernoulli's proof of the brachistochrone problem he used refraction of light and Fermat's principle of least time. I have decided to do a project on the subject, in which I am dividing up a...
  48. Const@ntine

    Calculating the Depth of a Cylinder Using Refraction

    Homework Statement A non-transclucent container in the form of a cylinder, has a diameter of 3.00 m, has its top part open, and is filled with water. When the sun created a 28.0 degree angle with the horizontal, the light doesn't illuminate the bottom of the container. What's the depth of the...
  49. C

    I Minimum deviation in prism spectroscope

    Suppose that I use a prism (vertex angle ##\alpha##) spectroscope to analyze a beam of visible light from a mercury lamp (different wavelenghts) and I want the determine the refraction index of the prism using the minmum deviation angles ##D_{min}##...
  50. Biniamin Piash

    Sweat on Screen, Interference or Refraction?

    When we touch the screen of a mobile or laptop we can see some colors on the sweat adhered to the screen.Which property of light can explain it? Is it for interference or for refraction?
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