Understanding Snell's Law: How to Know When Light Bends

AI Thread Summary
Understanding when light bends involves recognizing that light moves closer to the perpendicular in denser media, as described by Snell's Law. The bending direction—upward or downward—depends on the relative indices of refraction of the two media. Dispersion of colors, such as red and violet light, is influenced by their speeds in different materials, with violet light typically bending more due to a higher index of refraction. To qualitatively assess dispersion in different media, one must consider the refractive indices and how they affect the wavelengths of light. Overall, the relationship between wavelength, speed, and index of refraction is key to understanding light behavior in various contexts.
Elbobo
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Not really a homework question, but I don't understand the concept. How do I know when the light bends upward or downward? How do I know qualitatively how much the red and violet lights disperse apart?

I know it has something to do with Snell's law, but I can't seem to get the necessary equations to predict what happens. My teacher hasn't explained it, nor does my book.
 
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Elbobo said:
How do I know when the light bends upward or downward?

Light always is nearer the perpendicular in the denser medium.
How do I know qualitatively how much the red and violet lights disperse apart?

It depends on the speed of red and violet light …

cacluating those speeds is way too difficult for your course :wink:
 


Oooh, ok I understand the answer to my first question now, thanks :)

On the 2nd part, I figured as much, but I'm not trying to calculate exact speeds. For example, if I were to compare the dispersion of colors in Air-Prism vs. Water-Prism, how do I determine if the colors expand or contract? That's where I tried to find a formula combining wavelength and index of refraction, only to get confused and wind up here. =/
 

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