Solved Examples on Refraction of Light
Example 1: What is the constant value if the angle of incidence is 22° and the angle of refraction is given to be 15°?
Solution:
As we know,
sin i / sin r = constant
Given sin i = sin 22° and sin r = sin 22°
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin 22° / sin 15° = 1.44
Hence, the value of constant or refractive index is 1.44.
Example 2: What is the constant value if the angle of incidence is 30° and the angle of refraction is given to be 46°?
Solution:
Since, the
sin i / sin r = constant
Given sin i= sin 30° and sin r= sin 46°
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin 30° / sin 46° = 1.44
Hence, the constant is 1.44.
Example 3: What is the value of the sine of the angle of incidence if the angle of refraction is given to be sin 35°? Given the value of refractive index 1.33.
Solution:
As we know,
{sin i}/{sin r} =constant
Given constant= 1.33 and sin r = sin 35° = 0.57
Putting the values of angles from log table we get
sin i / sin 35° = 1.33
sin i = 1.33 × 0.57
= 0.75
Example 4: Calculate the speed of light in diamond with respect to air. Take the absolute refractive index of glass from the table.
Solution:
As we know we can calculate refractive index by the following formula,
n = c/v
where refractive index of diamond n= 2.42, c = 3 × 108 m/s
Hence, the velocity or speed of light in glass is vd = 1.24 × 108 m/s
Refraction of Light
Refraction is an important term used in the Ray Optics branch of Physics. Refraction of light is defined as the change in direction or the bending of a wave passing from one medium to another due to the change in speed of the wave. Some natural phenomena occurring in nature where refraction of light takes place are the twinkling of stars, the formation of mirages and Rainbows, Optical illusions, and many more. The major cause of refraction to occur is the change in the speed of waves in different mediums, which is different due to the difference between the densities of the mediums. e.g. the speed of light in a vacuum is maximum. Snell’s Law provides a quantitative description of the amount of bending of a wave, that depends on the refractive index of the two mediums. Let’s learn more about refraction like the Laws of Refractions, Causes of Refraction, Types of Refraction, Examples, and Applications of Refractions in the article below.