Refraction - Function

• Refraction is the bending of light (or any wave) when it passes from one medium to another

• When light moves from air into water or glass, it changes speed and bends at the boundary. This bending is called refraction.

• This is refracted ray in the drawing, the light refracts in the point of contact with water

• There is other possibility for the light wave is to reflect off

• The third possibility of light is to get absorbed

Refraction Logics

• Light travels at different speeds in different media.

• It slows down in denser materials (like glass or water) and speeds up in less dense ones (like air).

• Light travels fastest in vacuum

Refractive Index

• Refractive index is the ratio of the speeds of a light wave in two different media

• Formula = Sin i / Sin r