Total Internal Reflection
A common Physics lab is to sight through the long side of an isosceles triangle at a pin or other object held behind the opposite face. When done so, an…
Ray Tracing and Problem-Solving
In a previous part of Lesson 2, we learned about a mathematical equation relating the two angles (angles of incidence and refraction) and the indices of refraction of the two materials…
Snell’s Law
Refraction is the bending of the path of a light wave as it passes across the boundary separating two media. Refraction is caused by the change in speed experienced by a wave when…
The Mathematics of Refraction
The Angle of Refraction Refraction is the bending of the path of a light wave as it passes across the boundary separating two media. Refraction is caused by the change in speed experienced…
If I Were an Archer Fish
In the quiet waters of the Orient, there is an unusual fish known as the Archer fish. The Archer fish is unlike any other fish in that the Archer fish…
The Direction of Bending
Refraction is the bending of the path of a light wave as it passes from one material into another material. The refraction occurs at the boundary and is caused by a change…
Optical Density and Light Speed
Refraction is the bending of the path of a light wave as it passes from one material to another material. The refraction occurs at the boundary and is caused by a change…
The Cause of Refraction
We have learned that refraction occurs as light passes across the boundary between two media. Refraction is merely one of several possible boundary behaviors by which a light wave could behave when it encounters a…
Refraction and Sight
In Unit 13 of The Physics Classroom Tutorial, it was emphasized that we are able to see because light from an object can travel to our eyes. Every object that can…
Refraction and the Ray Model of Light
Refraction at a Boundary Boundary Behavior A wave doesn't just stop when it reaches the end of the medium. Rather, a wave will undergo certain behaviors when it encounters the end of the medium. Specifically,…
