Refraction of Light question assistance needed

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem related to the refraction of light, specifically involving Snell's law and the calculation of the angle of refraction when light passes from air into an oil layer. The original poster is working through an exam question that presents multiple-choice answers but is encountering difficulties in arriving at a correct solution.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply Snell's law but questions their result, which does not match any of the provided answer choices. Some participants suggest reconsidering the angle of incidence as it should be measured with respect to the normal, prompting a reevaluation of the calculations.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging in clarifying the correct approach to applying Snell's law. Guidance has been offered regarding the proper measurement of the incident angle, which may help the original poster correct their calculations. There is an acknowledgment of the learning process and the importance of asking questions.

Contextual Notes

The original poster is working from an old exam paper without published answers, which adds to the uncertainty of their calculations. They express concern about potentially embarrassing themselves when seeking further help.

Issy
Messages
6
Reaction score
1
As revision for my upcoming physics exam, I'm doing an old exam paper from a previous year of the course, for which the answers aren't published. However, I'm stuck on a basic angle of refraction question:
"A light ray makes an angle of 35degrees to the surface of an oil layer. [A diagram is attached, which shows the light ray traveling through air until it hits the oil surface]. The air's n=1.00, and the oil''s n=1.47. What is the angle of refraction of the light ray in the oil?"

It's a multichoice answer, and the answers are A) 35degrees, B) 56.1degrees, C) 55.9degrees, D) 33.9degrees, and E) 67.7.
However when I use the n1*sin(theta1) = n2*sin(theta2) method, my answer is always equal to 22.97degrees? Which is equal to none of the multichoice answer values? And because there are no published answers, I can't check the correct answer.
Have I done something wrong? Or is there a mistake in the exam paper? Thank you for any and all help!
[P.S. my calculator is definitely set in degrees.]


Relevant equations:
n1*sin(theta1) = n2*sin(theta2)


The attempt at a solution:
1 * sin(35) = 1.47 * sin(theta2), therefore sin-1 (sin(35)/1.47) = theta2 = 22.97degrees.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Try 90o - 35o as the incident angle.
The incident angle for Snell's law is measured with respect to the normal to the surface.
 
andrevdh said:
Try 90o - 35o as the incident angle.
The incident angle for Snell's law is measured with respect to the normal to the surface.

Thank you very much! A dumb mistake on my part; you've saved me from embarrassing myself in front of my lecturer when I went to ask him for help, and the extra info at the bottom was also very helpful, thank you again!
 
Don't be afraid to make mistakes or ask questions (and hopefully do not break anything in the process). That is (mostly) how we learn.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
11K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
5K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
7K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K