Practice and Revision - Refraction of Light
Let us practise and revise what we learned about refraction of light. Refraction is the bending of light as it passes between media of diffe
Core concept
Refraction occurs because light changes speed when passing from one medium to another, causing it to bend at the boundary.
How it works
Snell's law states that the ratio of sine of angle of incidence to sine of angle of refraction equals the refractive index for a given pair of media.
Why it matters
The refractive index indicates how much a medium bends light and how much slower light travels through it compared to vacuum.
Key detail
Refraction explains phenomena like a pencil appearing bent in water, and forms the basis for how lenses focus light in optical instruments.
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Key diagram

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Quick notes
• Refraction: light bends between media.
• Occurs due to speed change at boundary.
• Snell's law: sin(i)/sin(r) = refractive index.
• For a given pair of media.
• Refractive index: shows bending, speed reduction.
• Compared to vacuum speed.
• Explains pencil looking bent in water.
• Basis for lens focusing in optical instruments.