6.

Refraction of Waves
 REFRACTION OF WAVES
• Any type of wave can be refracted, which means a change of
direction.
• Refraction occurs when there is a change of direction of the
propagation of waves when it travel from a medium* to another
medium due to a change in speed.

i = incident angle
r = refraction angle

*Light & Sound: density & *Water wave: depth

 REFRACTION OF WATER WAVES
• Water waves undergo refraction (bending) when they move from
one medium to another. Refraction is accompanied by a change in
speed and wavelength of the waves.

• Water waves travel faster (with higher velocity, 𝑣1 ) on the surface of

deep water than they do on shallow water. Thus, if water waves are
passing from deep water into shallow water, they will slow down.
This decrease in speed will also be accompanied by a decrease in
wavelength. The change in speed of the wave causes refraction.
 Deep to shallow : towards the normal
• After refraction, the wave has the same frequency, but a
different speed, wavelength and direction.
• It is very critical to note that, when a water wave is transmitted
from deep water into shallow water, the wave is refracted
towards the normal as shown in Figure (a) below:
 Shallow to deep: away from the normal
• Conversely, the wave is refracted away from the normal when the
water wave is transmitted from shallow water into deep water as
shown in Figure (b):
EXPERIMENT: TO INVESTIGATE REFRACTION OF
WATER WAVES
Problem Statement: What are the effects on the direction of
propagation of a water wave passing over Perspex plates of different
shapes?
Hypothesis: Refraction occurs and the direction of propagation is
influenced by the shapes of the Perspex plates.
Variables:
(a) Manipulated : Shapes of Perspex plates
(b)Responding : Wavelength and direction of
propagation of the water wave
(c) Fixed : Frequency
Apparatus/ Equipment:
Ripple tank, Wooden bar, Perspex plates of different shapes,
mechanical stroboscope and white paper.
Procedure:
1. A ripple tank is set up as shown in
figure on the left.
2. The tank is filled with water and the
legs of the tank are adjusted until the
depth of the water in the tank is
uniform.
3. A Perspex plate in the shape of a
trapezium (as shown in below) is
immersed in the centre of the tank to
create an area of shallow water in
the tank.
4. The dipper with the wooden bar attached is switched on to
produce plane waves.
5. The directions of the water waves in the areas of deep and
shallow water are observed with a stroboscope.
6. Steps 3 to 5 are repeated with the orientation of the trapezium
plate changed so that the wave is incident at an acute angle on a
side of the plate as shown in figure below.
7. Steps 3 to 5 are repeated using Perspex plates in the shapes of a
triangle, convex lens and concave lens.
Observations:
Triangular Perspex Plate: Perspex plate in the shape of a
convex lens:

Perspex plate in the

shape of a concave lens:
Discussions:
1. Refraction occurs when a water wave passes from one area to
another area with a different depth of water.
2. If the wave strikes the Perspex plate at an angle of incidence of 0°,
the direction of propagation of the wave remains unchanged. The
water wave is not refracted, i.e. the angle of refraction is zero.
3. If the wave strikes the Perspex plate at a certain angle of
incidence, the water wave is refracted.

4. The water wave is refracted towards the normal the wave travels
to a shallower area, and vice versa.
• In general, the direction of propagation of a wave changes if the
angle of incidence of the wave is not zero. The shape, of the
refracted wave depends on the shape of the area of shallow
water over which the wave is passing.
 Example 1:
The figure below shows water ripples in two areas of water with
different depths. The observation is made with a stroboscope with 3
slits. The frequency of the stroboscope is 4 rotations per second.
Calculate (a) the frequency of the dipper, (b) the wavelength in the
deep area and in the shallow area and (c) the speeds of the waves in
the two areas.
Solution:
(a) Frequency of the dipper
=# of slits x rate/frequency of the
stroboscope
=𝑛 ×𝑝
= 3 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑠 × 4 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑
= 12 𝐻𝑧

(b) Area of the deeper water:

wavelength, 𝜆1 = 6 𝑐𝑚Τ3 = 2 𝑐𝑚
Area of the shallow water:
wavelength, 𝜆2 = 2.4 𝑐𝑚Τ3 = 0.8 𝑐𝑚
(c) Speed in deep water:
speed, 𝑣1 = 𝑓𝜆1 = 12 𝐻𝑧 × 2 𝑐𝑚 = 24 𝑐𝑚Τ𝑠
Speed in shallow water:
speed, 𝑣2 = 𝑓𝜆2 = 12 𝐻𝑧 × 0.8 𝑐𝑚 = 9.6 𝑐𝑚Τ𝑠
 RELATIVE REFRACTIVE INDEX (𝒏𝑫𝑺 )

• The degree of refraction in water is measured using a quantity

known as Relative Refractive Index (𝑛𝐷𝑆 ).
• Relative refractive index is defined as a ratio of speeds of wave in
two different media.
• Usually it characterizes properties of an interface between these
media. Thus,
𝑣𝐷
𝑛𝐷𝑆 =
𝑣𝑆
Where, 𝑣𝐷 = the speed of the wave in deep region
𝑣𝑆 = the speed of the wave in shallow region
Lets consider the refracted wave below. Note that the relative refractive
index between the two regions can be expressed as:
If its moving from deep to
shallow region:
𝑉𝐷 𝜆𝐷 𝑓 𝜆𝐷
𝑛𝐷𝑆 = = =
𝑉𝑆 𝜆𝑆 𝑓 𝜆𝑆
Thus,
𝜆
𝑛𝐷𝑆 = 𝐷
𝜆𝑆

In light of incidence angle, 𝑖𝐷

and angle of refraction, 𝑟𝑆 :
𝜆𝐷 sin 𝑖𝐷
𝑛𝐷𝑆 = =
𝜆𝑆 sin 𝑟𝑆
Thus,
sin 𝑖𝐷
𝑛𝐷𝑆 = (Eq. 1)
sin 𝑟𝑆
If its moving from shallow to deep region:
𝑉𝑆 𝜆𝑆 𝑓 𝜆𝑆
𝑛𝑆𝐷 = = =
𝑉𝐷 𝜆𝐷 𝑓 𝜆𝐷
Thus,
𝜆
𝑛𝑆𝐷 = 𝑆
𝜆𝐷

In light of incidence angle, 𝑖𝐷 and angle of refraction, 𝑟𝑆 .

𝜆𝑆 sin 𝑖𝑆
𝑛𝑆𝐷 = =
𝜆𝐷 sin 𝑟𝐷
Thus,
sin 𝑖𝑆
𝑛𝑆𝐷 = (Eq. 2)
sin 𝑟𝐷

Comparing, (Eq. 1) & (Eq. 2), yields

sin 𝑖𝑆 1 1
𝑛𝑆𝐷 = = ൘sin 𝑖 =
sin 𝑟𝐷 𝐷 𝑛𝐷𝑆
sin 𝑟𝑆
1
So, 𝑛𝑆𝐷 = Reversibility
𝑛𝐷𝑆
Example 2: Speed of the wave in the deep part of the tank is 16m/s.
Picture given below shows the refraction of this wave when it pass to
the shallow part of the tank. Find the speed of this wave in shallow
part of the tank.

Solution:
𝑉𝐷 sin 𝑖𝐷
=
𝑉𝑆 sin 𝑟𝑆

16 𝑐𝑚/𝑠 sin 53° 0.8

= =
𝑉𝑆 sin 30° 0.6

∴ 𝑉𝑆 = 12 𝑐𝑚/𝑠
 REFRACTION OF LIGHT WAVES
A swimming pool seems much shallower than it actually is; a spoon
appears bent when part of it is in water and a pencil look bent when
immersed in a glass of water. All these effects are due to the
refraction of light.
The figure below shows that a light ray is bent or refracted when
passing from air to the glass.
 REFRACTIVE INDEX (𝒏)
• To understand fully the change of speed of light as it moves from
one medium to another, we use a parameter called Refractive Index
or Index of Refraction.
• Index of refraction (n) of a material is the ratio of the speed (c) of light
in a vacuum to the speed (v) of light in the material:

𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚 𝑐

𝑛= =
𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑣

• Table below lists the refractive indices of some common substances:

Substance Index of Refraction (n)
Air 1.000
Water 1.333
Glass 1.523
Diamond 2.419
• During refraction, when a light ray moves from one medium where
refractive index is smaller into a medium where it is larger, the ray
refracts towards the normal. (See Figure (a).)
• Conversely, when a ray is propagating from one medium where
refractive index is larger into a medium where it is smaller the ray
is refracted away from the normal. (See Figure (b).)
• These two possibilities illustrate that both the incident and refracted
rays obey the Principle of Reversibility.
• Thus, the directions of the rays in part a of the drawing can be
reversed to give the situation depicted in part b. In part b the
reflected ray lies in the water rather than in the air.
• Normally, the angle of refraction 𝜃2 depends on the of incidence 𝜃1
and on the indices of refraction of the two media, 𝑛1 and 𝑛2 . The
relationship between these quantities is called Snell’s Law of
Refraction.
• Snell’s Law of Refraction: When light travels from a material with
refractive index 𝑛1 into a material with refractive index 𝑛2 , the
refracted ray, incident ray and the normal to the interface between
the materials all lie in the same plane. The angle of refraction 𝜃2 is
related to the angle of incidence 𝜃1 by:

𝑛1 sin 𝜃1 = 𝑛2 sin 𝜃2
• Let's note that, at a point on the interface, such as the origin, the
number of wave crests that arrive from the left in a second equals
the number that leave that point. So the frequency is the same in
the two media.

• In Travelling waves, we related wavelength 𝜆 to the frequency 𝑓

and 𝑣, the wave speed: 𝜆 = 𝑣/𝑓. Since, frequency is constant, We
can relate the wave speeds to the angles of incidence and
refraction.
 𝜆1 𝜆2 sin 𝜃1 𝜆1 𝜆1
Note that, sin 𝜃1 = ; sin 𝜃2 = and taking the ratio, = 𝜆 =
ℎ ℎ sin 𝜃2 ℎ ℎ2 𝜆2
But 𝑣1 = 𝑓𝜆1 ⟹ 𝜆1 = 𝑣1 /𝑓 and 𝑣2 = 𝑓𝜆2 ⟹ 𝜆2 = 𝑣2 /𝑓

Thus, sin 𝜃1 𝜆1 𝑣1 /𝑓 𝑣1
= = =
sin 𝜃2 𝜆2 𝑣2 /𝑓 𝑣2
𝑐 𝑐 𝑐 𝑐
Also, 𝑛1 = ⇒ 𝑣1 = and 𝑛2 = ⇒ 𝑣2 =
𝑣1 𝑛1 𝑣2 𝑛2

sin 𝜃1 𝜆1 𝑣1 𝑐/𝑛1 𝑛2
Hence, = = = =
sin 𝜃2 𝜆2 𝑣2 𝑐/𝑛2 𝑛1
sin 𝜃1 𝑛2
Therefore, = ⇛ 𝑛1 sin 𝜃1 = 𝑛2 sin 𝜃2
sin 𝜃2 𝑛1
Example 3: Light ray strikes, air/water interface at an angle of 46°
with respect to the normal. The refraction index of water is 1.333.
Find the angle of refraction when the direction of the ray is (a)
from air to water and (b) from water to air
Solution 3:
(a) Incident ray is in air: 𝜃1 = 46° and 𝑛1 = 1.000
Refracted ray is in water: 𝜃2 =? and 𝑛2 = 1.333

𝑛1 sin 𝜃1 = 𝑛2 sin 𝜃2

1.000(sin 46°) = 1.333 sin 𝜃2

1.000
sin 𝜃2 = sin 46° = 0.54
1.333

𝜃2 = sin−1 0.54 = 33°

Since 𝜃2 is less than 𝜃1 , the refracted ray is bent
toward the normal.
b) With Incident ray in water: 𝜃1 = 46° and 𝑛1 = 1.33
Refracted ray in water: 𝜃2 =? and 𝑛2 = 1.00

𝑛1 sin 𝜃1 = 𝑛2 sin 𝜃2

1.33(sin 46°) = 1. 00 sin 𝜃2

1.33
sin 𝜃2 = sin 46° = 0.96
1.00
𝜃2 = sin−1 0.96 = 74°
Since 𝜃2 is greater than 𝜃1 , the refracted ray is bent
away from the normal
 APPARENT DEPTH
• One of the interesting effect of refraction is that an object lying under
water appears to be closer to the surface than it actually is. This is known
as apparent depth.
• Apparent depth is the depth of submerged object in a transparent medium
where it is reduced from its real depth by a factor equal to relative
refractive index of the medium with respect to air
• The observer sees the object at an apparent
depth which is less than the real/ actual depth.
• The image is virtual because light ray do not pass
through it.
• Thus, in simpler case where the observer directly
above the submerged object, the apparent depth,
𝑑′ is related to the actual depth, 𝑑 by:
𝑛2
𝑑′ =𝑑
𝑛1
Example 4: A swimmer is treading water (with her head above the
water) at the surface of a pool 3.00 𝑚 deep. She sees a coin on the
bottom directly below. How deep does the coin appear to be?

Solution 4: For the swimmer to see the coin the incident ray is
coming from the coin under the water ( 𝑛1 = 1.33 ), while the
refracted ray is in the air (𝑛2 = 1.00).

′
𝑛2 1.00
𝑑 =d = 3.00 𝑚 = 2.26 𝑚
𝑛1 1.33
Example 5: A swimmer is under water and looking up at the
surface. Someone holds a coin in the air, directly above the
swimmer’s eyes. To the swimmer, the coin appears to be at a
certain height above the water. Is the apparent height of the coin
(a) greater than, (b) less than, or (c) the same as its actual height?
Solution 5:
When the rays enter the water, they are
refracted toward the normal because
water has a larger index of refraction than
air has. By extending the refracted rays
backward (see the dashed lines in the
drawing), we find that they appear to
originate from a point on a virtual image,
which is what the swimmer sees.
Therefore, the correct answer is (a).
 CRITICAL ANGLE & TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
• When light passes from a medium of larger refractive index into one
of smaller refractive index—for example, from water to air—the
refracted ray bends away from the normal, as in Figure (a) below.
• As the angle of incidence increases, the angle of refraction also
increases. When the angle of incidence reaches a certain value,
called the critical angle 𝜃𝑐 , the angle of refraction is 90°. Then, the
refracted ray points along the surface, as in Figure (b) below.
• When the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle, as in part (c)
of the drawing, there is no refracted light. All the incident light is
reflected back into the medium from which it came, a phenomenon
called total internal reflection.
• Total internal reflection occurs only when light travels from a
higher-index medium toward a lower-index medium. It does not
occur when light propagates in the reverse direction—for
example, from air to water.

(a) Total internal reflection demonstrated with

a laser, mirrors, and water in a fishbowl
 REFRACTION OF SOUND WAVES
• The sound of a moving train at a distance is clearer at night than
that in the day time. This is due to the effects of the refraction of
sound waves.
• At night-time, the layers of air close to the ground are cooler than
the layers further from the ground.
• Sound travels at a slower speed in cold air. As a result, the sound
waves are refracted in front path of a curve (due to total internal
reflection) towards the ground instead of disappearing into the
upper layers of the air.