Understanding Refraction and Snell's Law

What happens to the speed and direction of light when it crosses the boundary between two different materials?

• The speed remains constant and the direction changes.

• The speed increases and the direction remains unchanged.

• The speed decreases and the direction remains unchanged.

• The speed changes and the direction changes.

When light passes from air into glass, how does the angle of refraction compare to the angle of incidence?

• The angle of refraction is less than the angle of incidence.

• The angle of refraction is equal to the angle of incidence.

• The angle of refraction is greater than the angle of incidence.

• The angle of refraction is double the angle of incidence.

In the physics lab experiment, what is the significance of plotting the sine of the angle of incidence versus the sine of the angle of refraction?

• It shows no relationship between the angles.

• It shows a quadratic relationship between the angles.

• It shows a linear relationship between the angles.

• It shows an exponential relationship between the angles.

What does the slope of the line represent in the graph of sine of angle of incidence versus sine of angle of refraction?

• The speed of light in the first material.

• The index of refraction of the second material.

• The difference in angles of incidence and refraction.

• The index of refraction of the first material.

What is the general form of Snell's law equation?

• n1 - sin(theta1) = n2 - sin(theta2)

• n1 / sin(theta1) = n2 / sin(theta2)

• n1 + sin(theta1) = n2 + sin(theta2)

• n1 * sin(theta1) = n2 * sin(theta2)

When using Snell's law, what should you do first when solving a problem?

• Perform algebraic manipulations.

• Read the problem carefully and identify known values.

• Construct a diagram.

• Identify the unknown value.

In the example problem, what is the angle of refraction when light travels from air to glass with an angle of incidence of 39 degrees?

• 28 degrees

• 33 degrees

• 45 degrees

• 39 degrees

What is the expected behavior of light when it travels from a material with a high index of refraction to one with a low index?

• It bends randomly.

• It does not bend at all.

• It bends away from the normal line.

• It bends towards the normal line.

What is the inverse sine function used for in solving Snell's law problems?

• To find the speed of light.

• To find the index of refraction.

• To find the angle of refraction.

• To find the angle of incidence.

What should you check after calculating the angle of refraction to ensure your answer is reasonable?

• The angle should be less than the angle of incidence when moving to a denser medium.

• The angle should be greater than 90 degrees.

• The angle should be equal to the angle of incidence.

• The angle should be greater than the angle of incidence when moving to a denser medium.