Index of Refraction Concept - Extremely Confusing

In summary, for question #8, the fly appears to be 13.3 cm above the water to the fish below. For question #9, the angle of incidence for sunlight to be 100% polarized when reflecting off the surface of the pond is 53°. This can be found using the formula for Brewster's angle, which takes into account the refractive indices of the two mediums (air and water).
  • #1
riseofphoenix
295
2
I have just a few more questions regarding index of refractions and reflections...

8. A fly is 10 cm above the surface of a pond. How high above the water does the fly appear to a fish directly below (nair = 1, nwater = 1.333)?

(A) 10 cm
(B) 7.5 cm
(C) 13.3 cm
(D) 12.5 cm
(E) fish cannot see the fly because the light is totally reflected

The answer is supposed to be C but how did they figure this out?
They gave me height (h = 10 cm), but I have no angles of refraction, no just the index of refractions. But I have no formula to solve for HEIGHT because I can't use Snell's Law Equation. This makes no sense :(

9. What angle of incidence in degrees is sunlight 100% polarized when reflecting from the surface of the pond in the previous question?

(A) 0º
(B) 53º
(C) 37º
(D) 45º
(E) there is no angle

The answer is B, but how?

Is there a formula to use for them that I don't know about...
I've tried SNell's law but I'm not given enough variables.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
for #8, you can see that the answer is the ratio of one index over another. The way you work this out (You don't need to do this every time after you understand the concept) is actually draw the fish and the fly and the water/air boundary. Draw some ray-tracing lines from the fish to the fly. You should be able to find that the perceived height and actual height lie on the same side of two similar triangles, which ratio simplifies to that of the refractive indices.

read up Brewster's angle on #9
 
  • #3
For the first one, remember that the distance depends on the time it takes for light to reach the other object.

[itex]c[/itex] is the speed of light in a vacuum, but through a medium the speed of light is less. Since visually distance depends on time, you can find out the distance.

Second, the angle of polarization is the angle at which reflected light forms a right angle with the transmitted light. This is called Brewster's angle, and it's formula is: [itex]\theta_{B} = arctan(\frac{n_{2}}{n_{1}})[/itex]

I hope this makes things clearer.
 

1. What is the index of refraction?

The index of refraction is a value that represents the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a specific medium. It is denoted by the symbol "n" and is used to describe how much a material bends or refracts light.

2. How is the index of refraction measured?

The index of refraction is typically measured using a device called a refractometer. This instrument measures the angle at which light is bent when passing through a material, which can then be used to calculate the index of refraction.

3. What factors affect the index of refraction?

The index of refraction can be affected by several factors, including the density and composition of the material, as well as the wavelength and frequency of the light passing through it.

4. Why is the index of refraction important?

The index of refraction is an important concept in physics and optics because it helps us understand how light behaves when passing through different materials. It is also used in the design and construction of lenses, prisms, and other optical devices.

5. How does the index of refraction relate to Snell's law?

Snell's law is a formula that describes the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction when light passes through a boundary between two different materials. The index of refraction is directly related to this law, as it is used to calculate the amount of bending that will occur when light passes through a medium boundary.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
943
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
6K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Back
Top