Refraction

of light
Objectives
• Identify refraction in everyday life.

• Draw ray diagrams showing refraction at an

interface.

• Describe the relationship between the angle

of refraction and the index of refraction.
Assessment
1. Give an example of when refraction occurs at home.

2. On the diagram below, label the incident angle, incident ray,

refracted angle, refracted ray, and the normal.
Assessment
3. If a light beam shines from glass (n = 1.5) into
air (n = 1.003), does it deflect towards the
normal or away from it?

4. If the glass is replaced with diamond (n = 2.4),

does the beam deflect more or less?
Physics terms
New terms: Review terms:

• refraction • normal

• refracted ray • incident ray

• angle of refraction • angle of incidence

• index of refraction
Refraction
Refraction
Why does this straw look broken?
Refraction
Why does this straw look broken?
When light crosses a boundary
between materials, it may change
direction through refraction.
Refraction
Why does this straw look broken?
When light crosses a boundary
between materials, it may change
direction through refraction.

Light reflecting off the straw above

the water goes straight to your eye.

Light reflecting off the straw below

the water bends—refracts—as it
passes into the air, so it appears to
have come from a different direction.
Reflection
Light may reflect at the boundary
between two materials, staying in
the original medium.
Reflection and refraction
Light may reflect at the boundary Light may refract as it crosses a
between two materials, staying in boundary between two materials,
the original medium. changing its direction.
Reflection and refraction
In this window you can see items inside
the store AND the woman’s reflection.
This is because the light reflects and
refracts at the same time.
Reflection and refraction
In this window you can see items inside
the store AND the woman’s reflection.
This is because the light reflects and
refracts at the same time.

When you look out a window at night,

you can see your reflection in the glass.
Since the light also refracts, someone
standing outside can see you too.
Reflection and
refraction
A prism both reflects and refracts.
On a piece of paper about the size
of an business card, draw the
sketch shown in the figure.
Wrap the sketch around the prism.
Tilt it to see the images switch
places.
What causes refraction?

Refraction is a property of all

waves.
Refraction occurs at a boundary
between two materials.
Light refracts because it travels
at different speeds in different
materials.
Visualizing refraction
Ray diagrams help us
visualize refraction.
This diagram shows an
incident ray in air and the
refracted ray in glass.
Visualizing refraction
The normal is a line
perpendicular to the
boundary at the point
where the ray strikes
the new medium.
Visualizing refraction
The angle of incidence
lies between the incident
ray and the normal.
The angle of refraction Angle of
lies between the refracted incidence
ray and the normal.
Angle of
refraction
The direction of refraction
When light slows down it When light speeds up it
bends towards the normal. bends away from the normal.
The effects of refraction
Light from this fish bends away from the
normal as it passes from water into air.
Where does the observer THINK the
fish is located?
The effects of refraction
The observer thinks the fish
is located farther to the left.
The amount of
refraction
The amount of refraction depends
on the combination of materials.
Which combination of materials
results in greater refraction?
• air to glass
• air to water
The amount of
refraction
The amount of refraction depends
on the combination of materials.
Which combination of materials
results in greater refraction?
• air to glass

Notice the greater deflection of

the refracted ray in the glass.
Test your knowledge
This diagram shows four labeled
angles. Which one of these is the
θ2
angle of refraction?
How do you know?
θ1

θ3

θ4
Test your knowledge
This diagram shows four labeled
angles. Which one of these is the
θ2
angle of refraction?
How do you know?
θ1
θ4: It is the angle between the
refracted ray and the normal. θ3

θ4
The index of refraction
Every light medium has an index
of refraction n that determines
how much it will refract light.
The value of n is never less than 1,
and has no units.
Can you think of a material that
might have a higher index of
refraction than glass?
The index of refraction
Every light medium has an index
of refraction n that determines
how much it will refract light.
The value of n is never less than 1,
and has no units.
Can you think of a material that
might have a higher index of
refraction than glass?

Diamond has n = 2.42

The amount of refraction
The amount of refraction depends
on the difference between the two
indices of refraction.

The bigger the difference, the

greater the refraction.
The amount of refraction
Material 1

A light ray passing from air

into water bends towards the
normal.

A light ray passing from air into

glass bends even more towards
the normal—because glass has
a higher n.
Material 2
Test your knowledge
Which combination of air, water,
and glass produces the least
refraction?
Test your knowledge
Which combination of air, water,
and glass produces the least
refraction?

Light passing between

glass and water will have
the least refraction.
The index of refraction
Light passing from low to high Light passing from high to low
index of refraction bends index of refraction bends away
towards the normal. from the normal.
Assessment
1. Give an example of when refraction occurs at home.
Assessment
1. Give an example of when refraction occurs at home.

• when you view a spoon in a glass of water

• when you use a magnifying glass or

binoculars

• when you look through a glass

paperweight or a diamond ring
Assessment
2. On the diagram below, label the incident angle, incident ray,
refracted angle, refracted ray, and the normal.
Assessment
2. On the diagram below, label the incident angle, incident ray,
refracted angle, refracted ray, and the normal.
Assessment
3. If a light beam shines from glass (n = 1.5) into
air (n = 1.003), does it deflect towards the
normal or away from it?
Assessment
3. If a light beam shines from glass (n = 1.5) into
air (n = 1.003), does it deflect towards the
normal or away from it?
Glass has a higher index of refraction than
air so the beam bends away from the normal.
Assessment
3. If a light beam shines from glass (n = 1.5) into
air (n = 1.003), does it deflect towards the
normal or away from it?
Glass has a higher index of refraction than
air so the beam bends away from the normal.

4. If the glass is replaced with diamond (n = 2.4),

does the beam deflect more or less?
Assessment
3. If a light beam shines from glass (n = 1.5) into
air (n = 1.003), does it deflect towards the
normal or away from it?
Glass has a higher index of refraction than
air so the beam bends away from the normal.

4. If the glass is replaced with diamond (n = 2.4),

does the beam deflect more or less?
The difference in the index of refraction
is greater so the beam deflects more.