Tagged Questions
2
votes
2answers
28 views
Penetration of light in the atmosphere
While I was considering an answer to this question, I wondered how much light that enters the atmosphere reaches the ground without colliding with air molecules—if any. I've taken a good bit of ...
2
votes
1answer
28 views
Relation of color and frequency for the visible spectrum
In this question the OP is looking for a way to see light that is outside of the visible spectrum without using electronic sensors. This got me wondering about the visible spectrum itself. Typically ...
3
votes
3answers
205 views
Why frequency doesn't change during refraction?
When light goes through one medium to another it's velocity and wavelength changes. Why frequency doesn't change in this phenomenon?
1
vote
0answers
11 views
Speed of Light in a Medium [duplicate]
For light travelling in a medium with refractive index greater than one:
The "average" speed of light is slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. As far as I know, the instantaneous speed of light ...
4
votes
3answers
398 views
Does light change color on its way through a window?
Looking at the refractive index of glass, it's around $1.6$.
Then the speed of light $x$ through light should be given by
$$ 1.6 = \frac{3.0\times10^8}{x}, $$
so $x$ is about ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Colors in the secondary rainbow reverse of that in the primary rainbow
Why the colors of Secondary rainbow is reverse of that in the color in the Primary rainbow?
What can be the possible reason among the following options
Because it is formed by one internal ...
0
votes
1answer
625 views
Index of Refraction
The scenario:
A ray of light strikes the center of the (a) flat surface and (b) curved surface of a semicircular glass medium with the angle of incidences in degrees of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50.
The ...
-1
votes
1answer
77 views
Determine when a light is going into the object [closed]
Please look at this image: (http://mypages.iit.edu/~smart/acadyear/refract.gif)
How can I determine when light is going into the object?
Actually, if there is, what is the simplest way to ...
2
votes
3answers
7k views
1
vote
1answer
145 views
Speed of light and virtual particles
After becoming extremely bored while studying for an Afrikaans exam, I started thinking about virtual particles. So, can light (photons) interact with virtual particles (even though they only exist ...
0
votes
1answer
110 views
Width of Gaussian Beam and Refractive Index
I know that in free space, the width of a Gaussian beam can be written as $W=W_0\sqrt{1+(\frac{z}{z_0})^{2}}$. However, I was wondering if it was possible to express this width as a function of ...
2
votes
1answer
322 views
What are the properties of the partially polarized light on refraction?
When a ray of ordinary light is passed on the surface of the water the reflected light will be completely polarized( vibrations in one plane).
My question is what will be plane of vibration in the ...
0
votes
1answer
96 views
Is the acceleration and deceleration of a wave instantanious?
When an light travels in free space, it has a velocity of propagation equal to the speed of light.
However, then the light enters a medium with a refractive index of n, the velocity of propagation ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
How to bend light?
As we all know that light travels in rectilinear motion. But can we bend light in parabolic path? If not practically then is it possible in paper? Has anyone succeeded in doing that practically ?
2
votes
1answer
115 views
Calculating a Deflection of Light Integral from Einstein's 1907 paper on Gravity and Light
$\frac{1}{c^2}\int_{\theta=-\pi/2}^{\theta=\pi/2} \frac{kM}{r^2}cos\theta ds=2\frac{kM}{c^2\Delta}$
An observation: $\cos\theta=\frac{\Delta}{r}$
2
votes
4answers
136 views
Light refraction and causality
One way how to look at refraction by a dielectric medium like water or glass is that (phase) velocity of light decreases because it is the wavelength rather than the frequency of the light which ...
3
votes
5answers
2k views
Is it possible to witness a circular rainbow?
What conditions would make it possible to see a naturally occurring fully 360° circular rainbow? Would it even be possible?
10
votes
6answers
4k views
What determines color — wavelength or frequency?
What determines the color of light -- is it the wavelength of the light or the frequency?
(i.e. If you put light through a medium other than air, in order to keep its color the same, which one would ...
2
votes
1answer
317 views
Snell's Law of Refraction
I was told that "Snell's law of refraction implies that a light ray in an isotropic medium travels from point a to point b in stationary time." Why is this true?
Thanks.
6
votes
6answers
2k views
Why does light change direction when it travels through glass?
This was explained to me many years ago, by a physics teacher, with the following analogy:
"If someone on the beach wants to reach someone else that is in the water, they will try to travel as much ...
13
votes
4answers
423 views
What is the mechanism behind the slowdown of light/photons in a transparent medium?
So light travels slower in glass (for example) than in a vacuum. What causes light to slow down? Or: How does it slow down? If light passes through the medium, is it not essentially traveling in the ...
