Refraction and …

Total Internal Reflection

Waves
Different Wavelengths
Lead To:
 Frequency and Energy
• Red light is used in photographic darkrooms
because it is not energetic enough to break the
halogen-silver bond in black and white films

• Ultraviolet light causes sunburn but visible

light does not because UV photons are more
energetic

• Our eyes detect color because photons of

different energies trigger different chemical
reactions in retina cells
1
s

The Speed of Light

f•λ=c
frequency x wavelength = speed of light
 frequency f : cycles per second (1/s = Hz )
 wavelength λ : metres or nanometres (nm = 1 x 10 -9 m)

speed of light in a vacuum = 299,792 km/h

OR 3.00 x 108 m/s
 Speed of light in vacuum, C = 3 x 108 m/sec
Speed is slower in matter
New Medium
Air

Speed = C

Speed = V
C
Index of refraction, n =
V
 Index of Refraction
The index of refraction for a medium is the ratio of
the speed of light in a vacuum
the speed of light in the medium

n = c/v
n cannot be less than 1

8
3 X 10
E.g. glass: n= 8 = 1.5
2 X 10
Index of Refraction
 Refraction
Light refracts, which means that it bends when passing
from one medium to another. When light enters a more
dense medium from one that is less dense, it bends
towards the normal.
lower n higher n

When going from a lower n

to a higher n, ray bends
toward normal
higher n lower n

When going from a higher n

to a lower n, ray bends
away from normal
Trigonometry Refresher

hypotenuse, h
altitude, a

q
base, b
a
sin q =
h
a
tan q =
b
b
cos q =
h
 medium 2
medium 1 n2
n1

angle of angle of
incidence refraction
q1 q2

Snell’s Law: n1sinq1 = n2sinq2

 Snell’s Law

n1 sin q1 = n2 sin q2

n1 = 1.00
?o
30o
n2 = 1.50

19.47o
 Refraction
• This bending of light can play tricks on our minds
Another Trick

Light travels faster at

higher altitudes
because the air is less
dense.
Total Internal Reflection
 Internal reflection
A light ray hits the inside face of a
semicircular block as follows.
air
glass

What will happen?

 For a small angle of incidence
• The incident ray splits into 2 rays.
• angle of refraction < 90o

air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal Reflection

• When light travels from a denser to a less dense medium

it speeds up, and bends away from the normal.
• The angle of refraction increases as the angle of incidence
increases.
• When the angle of refraction is 90° or bigger, the light
will not escape, but will reflect back into the medium. This
is Total Internal Reflection.
• The angle at which this happens is the Critical Angle.
 Total Internal Reflection
• as angle of incidence ,
angle of refraction 
• eventually, angle of refraction = 90
• angle of incidence = critical angle C

air refracted ray

glass
C

incident ray reflected ray

 Total Internal reflection
• Therefore, if angle of incidence > C,
the light ray is totally reflected inside.

air
glass

incident ray reflected ray

• This is called total internal reflection.

Critical angle and refractive index

air refracted ray

glass
C

incident ray reflected ray

n= sin 90 o

sin C
n= 1 or C= sin−1 (1)
sin C n
 Critical angle and refractive index
• critical angles of different materials

Refractive Critical
Medium index angle
Glass 1.50–1.70 30–42
Water 1.33 49
Perspex 1.5 42
Diamond 2.42 24
 Total Internal Reflection

• This is used in fiber-optic cables to transmit

data signals. The light inside the cable cannot
escape so no energy (signal) is lost