Welcome to our light refraction experiment. When light travels from air into water, it changes direction due to the different optical densities of these materials. We can observe this phenomenon by tracing the path of a light ray as it crosses the boundary between air and water.
The bending of light follows Snell's Law, which states that the product of the refractive index and the sine of the angle remains constant across the boundary. Air has a refractive index of 1.0, while water has a refractive index of 1.33. This difference causes the light ray to bend toward the normal when entering the denser medium.
Now let's observe the dynamic behavior of light refraction. As the light ray travels through air and hits the water surface, it immediately changes direction. The ray bends toward the normal because water is optically denser than air. This bending occurs because light travels slower in water than in air.
The degree of refraction depends on the incident angle. When light hits the surface perpendicularly, it passes straight through without bending. As the incident angle increases, the refraction becomes more pronounced. Let's observe how different incident angles affect the path of the refracted ray.
Light refraction is fundamental to many technologies we use daily. Eyeglasses correct vision by bending light rays to focus properly on the retina. Camera lenses use refraction to form sharp images. Fiber optic cables guide light through total internal reflection, enabling high-speed internet communications. Understanding refraction allows engineers to design better optical instruments and solve practical problems in optics.