ChangkatChangiSecondarySchool

UNIT 10.3 & 10.4

Light--Refraction

Name: ________________________
Class: __________
Date: ____________

CONTENTPAGE
Date

Notes/Worksheets

Marks

Remarks

Notes10.3

Notes10.4

Worksheet10.3

Worksheet10.4

LessonSummary&MyReflections

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg1PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

NOTES10.3

LESSONOBJECTIVES

Attheendofthelesson,youwillbeableto:
o Definerefractiveindexofamediumintermsofratioofthespeedoflightinvacuumto
thatinthemedium

BUILDINGUPYOUROWNUNDERSTANDING

Bendingoflight
Lightcantravelthroughtransparentmaterialssuchasglass,waterorplastic.However,lightwill
bendasittravelsbetweentwodifferentopticalmedium.

Thiscanbeobservedinourdailylivesinsomeexamplesshownbelow.

2.

1.

4.

3.

Learnmore!Watchthesetwovideostounderstandmoreaboutexamples2,3and4.
Example1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1g1zNuCM0
Example3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOLbdCSBa9o
Example4:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhBZ40jIo4Q

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction
Pg1PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

Definitionofrefraction
Refractionoflightisthebendingoflightrayasitpassesfromonemediumintoanotherduetothe
___________________________________________________.
Forexample,inairorvacuum,lighttravelsataspeedof3.0x108m/swhereasinglass,lightslows
downtoaspeedof2.6x108m/s.

EXPLORE1:Bendingbehaviouroflight

Fig1and2showshowlightbendsbetweenmediumsofdifferentopticaldensity(e.g.airtowater,
watertoair)

Fig.2

Fig.1

Awaytorememberthis:

AslightmovefromanopticallylessdensemediumintoanopticalDensermedium,lightray
bendsTowardsnormal.[DT]

AslightmovefromanopticaldensermediumintoanopticallyLessdensemedium,lightray
bendsAwaynormal.[LA]

Furtherexamplesofrefractionandraydiagrams
Figurebelowillustrateswhyacoininwaterappearstobeshallowerduetorefraction.

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg2PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

NOTES10.4

LESSONOBJECTIVES

Attheendofthelesson,youwillbeableto:
o Understandthetermsusedforrefraction:
Normal
Angleofincidence
Angleofrefraction
sin i

o Recallthat sin r = constant

,andsolverelatedproblems

Refractioninarectangularglassblock

Figurebelowshowsalightraytravelingfromairintoglass,andthenintoairagain.

i)

ii)

iii)

Differentnamesaregivenforeachrayinaglassblocktohelpdifferentiatetheraysatdifferent
parts.Thesenamesareincidentray,refractedrayandemergentray.

Termsusedinaraydiagramforrefractionoflight

________________________
________________________

air

glass

________________________

Wherei=angleofincidence(forair),

r=angleofrefraction(inglass)

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg3PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

Lawsofrefraction

1. The___________________,the_________________________andthe
_________________________alllieinthesameplane.

2. Fortwoparticularmedia,theratioofthesineoftheangleofincidencetothesineofthe
angleofrefractionisaconstant,i.e.
sin i
= constant
sin
r

Explore2:Exploreifsiniandsinrarealwaysconstant
Instructions
1. OpentheappletLawsofreflection.Youwillseeabeamoflightpassingfromairintoa
semicircularglassblock.

2. Usematerialglassforthisexercise.

3. Movetherayboxsuchthatangleofincidencereads20.0o.
Youwillseetheangleofrefractionaswell.

andwritedownthereadingsofr/o ,siniandsinrinTable1below.
4. Clickrecord
Calculatethevalueofsini/sinrto3s.f.

i/o
r/o
sini
sinr
sini/sinr

20

30

40

50

60

5. Repeatthisforothervaluesofi/oandrecordanyotherreadingofi/oforthelastrow.

6. Discusswithteacherifsini/sinrisalwaysconstantorifthereisarange.

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg4PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

Refractiveindex,n,intermsofangles
Infact,theconstantvalueofsini/sinrisdefinedastherefractiveindex,n.

Forthecaseofalightraytravelingfromairintoamediumsuchasglass,
wecanwrite

sin i
=n
sin r

wherenistherefractiveindexofthemedium.
(Takenotethatforthisformulatobeused,iistheanglein______________)

Example
Arayoflighttravelsfromairtoanunknownmediumasshownbelow.Calculatetherefractive
indexofthemedium.

Yourworkings:

30o

air

medium
22.6o

A
C

1.32
0.768

B
D

1.30
0.978

()

Explore3:Determiningrefractiveindex

1. Canyoudeterminetherefractiveindexofothermaterialsintablebelow?

Material
i/o
r/o
Refractive

index,n=

sini/sinr

Glass
20
13.2

Perspex
30
19.5

Waterinadish 35
25.5

Diamond
40
15.5

2. Youmayuseyourapplettoverifyyouranswer.

3. Rankthematerialsbasedontheirrefractiveindexstartingfromsmallesttohighest.

.
SmallestHighest

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg5PreparedbyMrMelvinNg

Refractiveindex,n,intermsofspeed

Previously,wealsodefinerefractiveindexasratioofthespeedoflightinair/vacuumtothe
speedoflightinamedium.

Therefore,wecanwrite

n=c

wherecrepresentsthespeedoflightinvacuum/air,
vrepresentsthespeedoflightinmedium

Example
Lighttravelsat3.0x108m/sinairand2.6x108m/sintheglass.Calculatetherefractiveindexof
theglassforbluelight.

n=c/v
=3.0x108/2.6x108
=1.15

Refractiveindexofopticalmediums

Table2summarisestherefractiveindexofdifferentmediaandtheirrespectivespeeds.

Howdoesthespeedoflightchangesrefractiveindexchanges?

Notes10.3&10.4Light:Refraction

Pg6PreparedbyMrMelvinNg