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What is refraction?
Refraction is the change of direction a light ray undergoes
when it enters a medium with a different optical density.

Light travels at different

speeds in materials with
different optical densities,
and the change in
direction occurs due to the
change in the speed of the
light.

In a vacuum, light travels at

299,792,458 ms-1.

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Why does refraction occur?
As a light ray enters a
medium that is more
optically dense, it slows
down and bends
towards the normal.

As a light ray enters a

medium that is less optically
dense, it speeds up and
bends away from the normal.
In this diagram:
 i1 > r 1  i2 < r 2

 i1 = r 2  r1 = i 2

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Investigating refraction

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Refractive index
The speed of light in a particular substance is expressed as
the refractive index (n) of that medium.

refractive index speed of light in vacuum (c)

=
of substance (ns) speed of light in substance (cs)

medium speed of light (ms-1) refractive index (n)

vacuum 299,792,458 1
air 299,702,547 1.0003
water 224,900,569 1.333
glass 198,538,051 1.51
diamond 123,933,393 2.419

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Snell’s law of refraction
Refractive indices can be used to make predictions about
refraction.

medium 1: refractive index = n1

medium 2: refractive index = n2

Snell’s law of refraction states: n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2

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Refraction calculations

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