Refraction

 Refraction is the bending of a wave when it passes from one medium to another. The bending is caused due to the differences in density between the two substances.

Defining Refraction

“Refraction is the change in the direction of a wave passing from one medium to another.”

Refraction of light is one of the most commonly observed phenomena, but other waves like sound waves and water waves also experience refraction. Refraction makes it possible for us to have optical instruments such as magnifying glasses, lenses and prisms. It is also because of the refraction of light that we are able to focus light on our retina.

Refraction in Nature Why do stars twinkle? Did you know that the twinkling effect of stars is due to atmospheric refraction? The starlight undergoes several refractions while reaching the Earth. This atmospheric refraction occurs in a medium of gradually changing refractive index.

Causes of Refraction

Change of Speed Results in Change in Direction

A light ray refracts whenever it travels at an angle into a medium of different refractive index. This change in speed results in a change in direction. As an example, consider air travelling into water. The speed of light decreases as it continues to travel at a different angle.

The refraction of light in glass is shown in the figure above. When light travels from air into glass, the light slows down and changes direction slightly. When light travels from a less dense substance to a denser substance, the refracted light bends more towards the normal line. If the light wave approaches the boundary in a perpendicular direction, the light ray doesn’t refract despite the change in speed.

Laws of Refraction of Light

Laws of refraction state that:

• The incident ray refracted ray, and the normal to the interface of two media at the point of incidence all lie on the same plane.
• The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant. This is also known as Snell’s law of refraction.