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Light travels from medium C to medium D. The angle of incidence is larger than the angle of refraction. Which medium has the lower index of refraction? Explain your logic.
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another, such as from air to water or from air to glass. This occurs because light travels at different speeds in different mediums.
Refraction occurs because light changes speed when it passes from one medium to another. This change in speed causes the light to bend, or refract, towards or away from the normal line, which is an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface of the medium.
The amount of refraction that occurs depends on the speed of light in the two mediums, as well as the angle at which the light enters the second medium. The greater the difference in speed between the two mediums, the greater the amount of refraction, and the more oblique the angle of incidence, the greater the amount of refraction.
The law of refraction, also known as Snell's law, states that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is equal to the ratio of the speeds of light in the two mediums. This can be expressed as n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2, where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction for the two mediums, and θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction, respectively.
Refraction has many practical applications, such as in the design of lenses for eyeglasses, cameras, and microscopes. It is also used in the construction of optical instruments, such as telescopes and binoculars. In addition, refraction is used in the telecommunications industry to transmit information through fiber optic cables.