- #1
rahuljayanthb
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why does the direction of light change during refraction if the speed changes?how are speed and direction related?
Why does the direction of light change during refraction if the speed
- Thread starter rahuljayanthb
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SUMMARY
The direction of light changes during refraction due to the relationship between speed and wavelength. When light transitions between materials with different speeds, its frequency remains constant while its wavelength decreases if the speed decreases. This change in wavelength causes the light waves to bend away from the perpendicular at the boundary, illustrating the fundamental principle that applies to all wave phenomena, including seismic waves. A simulation video on YouTube effectively demonstrates this concept.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of wave properties, including frequency and wavelength
- Basic knowledge of light behavior and refraction
- Familiarity with the concept of wave speed in different media
- Awareness of boundary interactions in physics
- Explore the principles of Snell's Law in optics
- Learn about wave behavior in different materials, focusing on sound waves
- Investigate the effects of refraction in various optical devices
- Watch simulations of wave interactions at boundaries on platforms like YouTube
Students of physics, educators explaining wave behavior, and anyone interested in the principles of light refraction and wave dynamics.
- #2
tiny-tim
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welcome to pf!
hi rahuljayanthb! welcome to pf!
it's because light is a wave
in fact, it applies to any wave … for example, the direction of an earthquake wave will change when it goes through a boundary between rocks with a different speed of sound
the frequency stays the same (that's obvious, isn't it?), and frequency times wavelength = speed, so if speed decreases, then wavelength must decrease, so the waves must get closer together, and the only way of doing that is to bend away from the perpendicular
hi rahuljayanthb! welcome to pf!
rahuljayanthb said:
it's because light is a wave
in fact, it applies to any wave … for example, the direction of an earthquake wave will change when it goes through a boundary between rocks with a different speed of sound
the frequency stays the same (that's obvious, isn't it?), and frequency times wavelength = speed, so if speed decreases, then wavelength must decrease, so the waves must get closer together, and the only way of doing that is to bend away from the perpendicular
- #3
K^2
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Just to illustrate what tiny-tim said, here is a video of a simulation (YouTube).
Notice that the distance between lines in incoming wave (wavelength) is longer than in the wave that passed into material (there is also a reflected wave going back up), but the lines still match at the boundary. That forces a change of the direction angle.
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