How Do You Calculate the Refractive Index from Water to Glass?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the angle of refraction when light transitions from water to glass at a boundary, given specific refractive indices and an angle of incidence. The subject area is optics, specifically the behavior of light at interfaces between different media.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore how to derive the refractive index of glass with respect to water using the provided refractive indices and the equation relating angles and indices. Questions arise about the necessity of solving the problem versus understanding the relationships involved.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on using the relevant equation to find the angle of refraction, while others express confusion about deriving the refractive index from the given data. There is an acknowledgment of the need for clarification without a definitive resolution yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the refractive indices provided are with respect to air, which may influence their understanding of the transition from water to glass. The necessity of solving the problem is questioned, suggesting a focus on conceptual understanding rather than computation.

reyaz1
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Homework Statement



A ray of light is incident in water on a plane water-glass boundary. The angle of incidence is 30 degrees. Calculate the angle of refraction. (Refractive index of glass with respect to air =3/2, refractive index of water with respect to air = 4/3).

Homework Equations



n1sini = n2sinr

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried approaching it with several methods, but I am puzzled. How do you get the glass to water refractive index from the data given??

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
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Think of the definition of the refractive index.

ehild
 
How do you get the glass to water refractive index from the data given??

It is not necessary to solve this problem.
You can use the relevant equation
n1sini = n2sinr
to find r. Here n1 is the refractive index of water. and n2 is that of glass.
 
rl.bhat said:
How do you get the glass to water refractive index from the data given??

It is not necessary to solve this problem.
You can use the relevant equation
n1sini = n2sinr
to find r. Here n1 is the refractive index of water. and n2 is that of glass.

Thank you sooo much! I just needed a nod in the right direction.
 

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