Sun appears higher at sunset and light refraction through oil and water

[FestiveF]

Hi all. I just have a few questions regarding light refraction and reflection.

At sunset, the sun seems to be higher in the sky than it really is- correct? What causes this?

Which color of light is refracted least by a glass prism? How do each of the colors separate through a prism to determine how they are reflected/refracted?

Last, but not least:

A layer of oil floats on a layer or water. A ray of light in the air above the oil strikes the oil at an incidence angle of 40*. The ray continues through the oil into the water. What is the angle of refraction of the light ray in water? I know that the index for water is 1.33, for oil it is 1.45, and for air it is 1.00. I got the answer to be 28.9* and I feel pretty confident that is correct...but could someone just double-check my thinking please?

Thank you so much!

 

[Integral]

We do not do your homework for you on this board. You must show that you have but a bit of thought into the problems. Please post more specific questions about where you are haveing troubles.

 

[M98Ranger]

Hi there!

To answer your first question, yes, the sun appears to be higher in the sky at sunset due to light refraction. This is because as the sun's rays pass through the Earth's atmosphere, they are bent or refracted by the different layers of air with varying densities. This bending of light causes the sun to appear higher than it actually is.

The color of light that is refracted least by a glass prism is red. This is because red light has the longest wavelength and therefore bends the least when passing through a medium. As for how colors separate through a prism, this is due to a process called dispersion. When light enters a prism, it is refracted at different angles depending on its wavelength, causing the colors to separate. This is why we see a rainbow when white light is passed through a prism.

Your calculation for the angle of refraction in water seems to be correct. This can be found using Snell's law, which states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equal to the ratio of the indices of refraction of the two media. In this case, the angle of refraction in water would be 28.9 degrees.

I hope this helps clarify your questions about light refraction and reflection. Let me know if you have any further questions. Have a great day!