Light Refraction: Find Angle of Refracted Ray

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves the refraction of light as it passes from air into glass, with a given angle of incidence and the refractive index of glass. Participants are exploring how to apply Snell's Law to find the angle of the refracted ray.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the assumption of the refractive index for air and question how to proceed with the given information. There is a focus on clarifying the conditions under which Snell's Law can be applied.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with some participants providing guidance on assumptions regarding the refractive index of air. Multiple interpretations of the problem setup are being explored.

Contextual Notes

There is a lack of explicit information regarding the refractive index of air, which some participants suggest should be assumed as 1 for the purpose of applying Snell's Law.

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Homework Statement



A ray of light strikes a piece of glass (n=refraction index=1.5), making an angle of 30 degrees with the surface. What angle does the refracted ray make with the surface?

Homework Equations



Snell's Law: n1*sin(theta1)=n2*sin(theta2)

The Attempt at a Solution



We're only given one n...how do I do this?
 
Last edited:
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Is the question assuming that it's coming from air?
 
bfr said:
We're only given one n...how do I do this?

Hi bfr! :smile:

easy-peasy … you can assume that, for air (it is air, isn't it? :rolleyes:), n = 1. :smile:
 
OK, I didn't know we're just supposed to assume that n=1, thanks.
 

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