Questions tagged [refraction]
Change in the direction of propagation of a wave when its transmitting medium changes.
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Calculating refraction between numerous media
Last year, our teacher made us an exam to check our knowledge in light reflection and refraction. I don't perfectly remember it, but I know that one of the exercises included a ray with its angle of ...
2
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0answers
57 views
Zebra and Donkey Watching
Suppose I have a white donkey in front of me.
Say i paint black stripes on the objective of my camera lens and click a photo of it.
The context of this question is that when we cover a lens ...
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1answer
31 views
Image formation in Ray Optics
Can a refracted ray and a reflected ray form an image( different incident rays coming from the same object, one sufferning reflection and other refraction)?
What is the criteria for forming an "image"...
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Refractive Index in Ionized Liquid from Micro Aspect
I learned about the refractive index of gases and dense materials, which is a function of the atom number per volume, wavelength of electromagnetic wave, etc. However, what is the refractive of ...
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0answers
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Polarization of material under electromagnetic radiations [closed]
Refraction of electromagnetic wave is responsible of polarization of material?
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2answers
44 views
Does phase change occurs on refraction at a lens?
There is no phase change between refracted (transmitted) rays and incident rays, according to boundary conditions of electric field and magnetic field, in accordance with the Maxwell's equations and ...
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43 views
How does a concave lens form a virtual image?
If rays of light are diverged upon exiting a concave lens, then they have no focal point. The rays completely spread out in random directions. Like diffuse reflection(which does not form an image)
So ...
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1answer
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Can light be sped up to go 30 times fast than the speed of light in a medium?
Here's the link: https://sciencebulletin.org/researchers-develop-way-to-control-speed-of-light-send-it-backward/
Here's the line that makes no sense to me: Abouraddy and study co-author Esat Kondakci ...
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1answer
96 views
Why can't $ε_r<1$ (at low frequencies)?
I've heard it said that the vacuum permittivity is the lowest possible permittivity for any substance, that no substance can have $ε_r<1$. Is this true? If so, why is this different from ...
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Predictions followed from Fermat's Principle, according to Feynman
In his book Lectures on Physics, Feynman mentions two predictions followed from Fermat's Principle (chapter 26-4).
1) Given three media air (1), water (2) and glass (3) with indices measured against ...
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1answer
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Determining the refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope
In this practical video of finding the refractive index, the reading is being taken by placing the travelling microscope perpendicular to the slab. But I've learned in another video(Frame Shot) if you ...
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0answers
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Different Refractive indices in Anisotropic medium
In an anisotropic medium, if we consider the dielectric tensor to be diagonal and medium is isotropic in $\mu $ or ($\mu = \mu_0$). Then from fresnel equation we get a quadratic equation in 'n' (...
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1answer
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TIRF mycroscopy with intermediate layer of different refraction index
I`m currently experimenting with through the lens TIRF microscopy in which an additional layer is used between the glass and the sample. This 10-30 μm layer has a higher refraction index than my ...
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2answers
47 views
Refraction of light with destructive interference
The wavelength of light determines it's refraction in a prism.
But, what if two beams of light destructively interfere as they pass through a small prism, so there is no apparent wave or wavelength ...
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1answer
19 views
Is the refractive index neglected in the standard Michelson interferometer equation: $\lambda=2d/N$
Hoping someone can help with this. It's a simple question, but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere:
I'm looking at the basic Michelson interferometer experiment, where you measure the wavelength ...
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1answer
40 views
Formation of a second image due to reflection at a boundary
To determine the refractive index of a transparent plate of glass, a
microscope is first focused on a tiny scratch in the upper surface,
and the barrel position is recorded. Upon further lowering ...
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1answer
23 views
Reflection coefficient derivation
from fresnel equations we have
$$r_{parallel}=\frac{n_1\cos\theta_i-n_2\cos\theta_r}{n_1\cos\theta_i+n_2\cos\theta_r}$$
$$r_{perpendicular}=\frac{n_2\cos\theta_i-n_1\cos\theta_r}{n_1\cos\theta_i+n_2\...
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0answers
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Find the refractive index [duplicate]
A ray of light enters a transparent sphere of radius R =2.00m . This ray undergoes one reflection inside the surface of sphere and emerges out in thesame direction parrale to the first . Giving that, ...
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0answers
23 views
The ideal shape of a plano-convex lens
What's the type of the ideal shape of a surface of a plano-convex lens to focus a parallel beam at the point? Considering the lens turned its flat side to a beam.
Surely it must be aspheric: ...
19
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4answers
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Light propagating through a sound wave
We know that the speed of light depends on the density of the medium it is travelling through. It travels faster through less dense media and slower through more dense media.
When we produce sound, a ...
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3answers
76 views
Why do prism split light at angle instead of curving it?
I assume that when light goes through matter, it doesnt really slow down, but the waveform is pushed back due to some resonance with the atoms.
EDIT: Interference is probably a better word than ...
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2answers
118 views
Can Snell's law be said to fail in this condition?
I ran into a question in my textbook which asks me "when does Snell's law fail?". My first reaction was that it's a law, it can't fail but they gave the solution as the condition when light rays are ...
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1answer
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Which colour comes out first from a prism?
When a narrow beam of white light is incident on a triangular prism. The speed of red light is maximum and violet is of minimum, red light bends less and travels less distance as compared to violet ...
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1answer
44 views
Which of these 2 methods for calculating the focal length of a concave mirror is more accurate?
I have done an experiment to measure $f$ the focal length of a concave mirror.
I have a list of 8 values for $u$ the object distance and 8 values for $v$ the corresponding image distance.
I ...
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0answers
16 views
Bending of light Ray in radially varying refractive index [duplicate]
If light passes near a massive object, the gravitational interaction causes a bending of the ray. This can be thought of as happening due to a change in the effective refrative index of the medium ...
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0answers
10 views
Velocity vectors during the propagation of photon in elastic scattering question [duplicate]
I have been trouble with the concept of energy of the photon during propagation in random scattered or random continuum medias. E = hf, where E is the energy of the photon in Joules; h is Planck's ...
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2answers
60 views
Maxwell's equations, nonlinear media, and dynamic response
Maxwell's equations in the vacuum with electric permittivity $\epsilon_0$ and magnetic permeability $\mu_0$ are given as:
$$\nabla \cdot \vec E = \frac{\rho}{ \epsilon_0}$$
$$\nabla \cdot \vec B = 0$...
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0answers
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Why Ewald–Oseen extinction theorem failed to explain refraction
One way to understand the refraction of light other than Huygens–Fresnel principle is by Ewald–Oseen extinction theorem, which states that light scatters only in forward direction with a slower ...
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1answer
84 views
How is the image distance negative?
Following is a problem from book:
"The near point of a person's eye is 53.0 cm. To see objects clearly at a distance of 24.0 cm, what should be the focal length of the appropriate corrective lens?"
...
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3answers
63 views
How is energy conserved during simultaneous refraction and reflection of light?
My question is regarding the partial reflection and refraction of light when incident on a refracting surface.
Here, the energy of Incident Ray is E=hv of Reflected Ray is E=hv and that of Refracted ...
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2answers
80 views
Why does a laser beam stay coherent when it passes through glass?
If I have a coherent laser beam and I shine it through some glass, the light will slow down because it will interact weakly with the atoms in the glass. However, the beam that comes out the other side ...
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1answer
48 views
Microwaves in other media
I saw a video on how microwaving grapes make plasma. He said that the refractive index of microwave is about 10 inside the grape. Now, we don't know the wavelength of the microwaves in the grape or ...
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1answer
59 views
How does every ray of light or photon can follow the same Snell's law in a very random states of matter like gases and liquids?
We know that to study refraction at the interface of two media, we use Snell's law which is $$μ=\frac{\sin(i)}{\sin(r)}$$
or
$$μ=c/v$$
(for vacuum as one of the media).
I know this is an ...
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0answers
14 views
Refraction of a circular polarised wave
I'm trying to derive the expression for the fields $E_{1}$ and $E_{2}$ in terms of $n_{1}$, $n_{2}$ and $E_{0}$. Where:
$E_{0}$ Is the incident field amplitude of circular polarised light
$E_{1}$ Is ...
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0answers
39 views
Gravitational lensing, indices of refraction and the size of the universe
Been pondering the following question for over 15 years now.
Is it possible that the size of the universe has been over estimated due to the effects of gravitational lensing and boundary indices of ...
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0answers
37 views
Refraction on the edge of mediums
Say I have this setup :
Here a light ray (in red) is incident on the point A in such a way that it is collinear with AB, and the indices of refraction are as mentioned in the figure. So my question ...
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0answers
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How To Calculate Wavefront Error of a Lens
The wavefront describes the Optical Path Difference (OPD) of an optical system. Typically the OPD has the unit of microns. The OPD is the difference of the Optical Path Length (OPL) of an arbitrary ...
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0answers
41 views
What is happening to a wave at a media boundary?
Say we have a light wave going from air to plastic, refractive indexes 1 and 1.5 respectively. What exactly is happening to the properties of the wave and why?
Taking wavespeed as v, frequency as f, ...
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4answers
270 views
Mathematics supporting the classical explanation of why the phase speed of light slows down in a medium
Consider the answer here by Chad Orzel which explains how a monochromatic light can slow down in a medium. He explains,
You can think each of the atoms (of the medium) as being like a little dipole,...
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2answers
49 views
What does it mean to say that glass has refractive index 1.5?
The refractive index of a material depends on the wavelength of the light incident upon it which is why dispersion happens. When we say that glass has refractive index 1.5 which wavelength do we have ...
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1answer
67 views
Can light in a medium travel faster than speed of light $c$ in vacuum?
Refractive index of medium $m$, $n_m$, is given by $$n_m = \sqrt{\mu_r\epsilon_r}$$where $\mu_r$ and $\epsilon_r$ are permittivity and permeability of the medium respectively.
And, velocity of light ...
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3answers
237 views
What is Cherenkov radiation? [duplicate]
What is Cherenkov radiation? I came across this concept when I was learning SR.
Why can't particles moving at speed of excess of speed of light in the medium. Why it does not violate the limitation ...
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1answer
34 views
The Speed of Light and Its Medium's Density
When reviewing a refractive index chart there is a relationship to the density of the medium and the velocity of electromagnetic radiation through the medium. The lower the density the greater the ...
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1answer
59 views
Speed of electromagnetic wave [closed]
On dispersion , speed of wave is inversely proportional to its wavelength . Therefore, gamma has max speed. But then in visible light , violet has least wavelength still it has least speed in visible ...
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2answers
41 views
Does TIR obeys laws of reflection?
After reaching the critical angle, do Snell's laws and laws of reflection hold good?
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2answers
41 views
Amplitude of wave
Does amplitude of wave changes during refraction of wave
If it will changes,why?
I have been searched for internet but still cannot find a complete answer
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2answers
92 views
light travels the fastest path of two points, how do you determine those two points?
so in this diagram from Richard Feynman's book: QED Strange Theory of Light and Mater
the light takes the fastest path from S to P and the lens makes it so that there are many fastest paths that go ...
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1answer
48 views
Reflection and transmission of EM waves
I'm reading "Introduction to Electrodynamics" by David J. Girffiths and the following assumption is confusing me:
We have an EM wave inciding on a surface,
Then, when applying the boundary ...
3
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1answer
54 views
How much does temperature affect the time of sunrise?
Please forgive me if this is a dumb question, or if my understanding of basic physics is wrong. Please feel free to correct me.
As I understand it, if the Earth didn't have any atmosphere, then the ...
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2answers
55 views
Is snow falling too fast or too reflective to produce rainbow?
Imagine millions of water molecules suspending in the air starts to turn into snow, I like to know the exact reason why we cannot have snow bow, is it due to the speed of each snow falling very fast ...
