A light ray traveling from diamond into air has an angle of refraction of 56 degrees. A piece of glass is then placed right next to the diamond
a) how will the angle of refraction change?
b) Justify your answer by considering any changes to the speed of light. show a diagram

Question

Lars · Answer

So, the angle of refraction will decrease. Assuming that you already know this, how do you think we can justify this answer?

DeadOfWinter · Answer

What do you think, the answer is?

toga · Answer

When a light ray passes from one medium to another, it refracts according to Snell's law, which states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equal to the ratio of the velocities of light in the two media. In this case, the diamond has a higher refractive index than air, so the angle of refraction is less than the angle of incidence. If a piece of glass is placed next to the diamond, the angle of refraction will change because the glass has a different refractive index than diamond. a) The angle of refraction will change when the light ray passes from diamond to glass due to the change in refractive index. The angle of refraction will also change when the light ray passes from glass to air due to the change in refractive index. Therefore, the angle of refraction will be different than 56 degrees. b) The speed of light changes as it passes from one medium to another due to the different refractive indices. The diagram below shows how the light ray will bend when it passes through the glass. The angle of refraction will be different than 56 degrees because the change in refractive index causes the light to bend. ``` air glass diamond |

|

| \ | / \ | / \ | / 56° | unknown | ``` In conclusion, the angle of refraction will change when a light ray passes from diamond to glass and then to air due to the changes in refractive index.