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What does light waves do when it moves from one medium to another?
A light wave can slow down or speed up when it enters another medium. Since the speed of wave motion in general depends on characteristics of the environment, you can always expect the speed of a wave to change as it moves from one medium to another. In the case of sound, it's the mechanical characteristics that matter, whereas for light and other electromagnetic waves, the determining characteristics are the electrical ones. So the speed of light changes when it enters a different medium. Now, since the product of (frequency) x (wavelength) is the wave speed, and the frequency can't change, we notice that if the speed changes, then the wavelength also changes in a new medium. Furthermore, right at the interface ... the boundary between the two media ... if the light doesn't hit the boundary exactly perpendicular to it, then we say that the light is "refracted" at the boundary, meaning that the light leaves the boundary in the new medium in a different direction compared to its direction in the previous medium.
What is it about the nature of light that causes it to be refracted?
Refraction is the bending of a wave when it enters a medium where it's speed is different. The refraction of light when it passes from a fast medium to a slow medium bends the light ray toward the normal to the boundary between the two media. The amount of bending depends on the indices of refraction of the two media and is described quantitatively by Snell's Law.
Why light enters water does it speed up or slow down?
Slows IF it enters the water from air (and not - say - glass).
When the light enters a denser medium what happens to the wavelengths?
The denser an object is, the slower a wave will travel through it because the wave will interact (collide!) with more molecules. Each collision will serve to slow down the wave of light. Therefore, the wavelength will increase, becoming longer.
Why a regular object bends in water?
Water's particles are denser than air's, so when the light enters water, the light rays slow down, so travel at a shallower angle to the angle at which the light enters (incidence).
What does light waves do when it moves from one medium to another?
A light wave can slow down or speed up when it enters another medium. Since the speed of wave motion in general depends on characteristics of the environment, you can always expect the speed of a wave to change as it moves from one medium to another. In the case of sound, it's the mechanical characteristics that matter, whereas for light and other electromagnetic waves, the determining characteristics are the electrical ones. So the speed of light changes when it enters a different medium. Now, since the product of (frequency) x (wavelength) is the wave speed, and the frequency can't change, we notice that if the speed changes, then the wavelength also changes in a new medium. Furthermore, right at the interface ... the boundary between the two media ... if the light doesn't hit the boundary exactly perpendicular to it, then we say that the light is "refracted" at the boundary, meaning that the light leaves the boundary in the new medium in a different direction compared to its direction in the previous medium.
What is it about the nature of light that causes it to be refracted?
Refraction is the bending of a wave when it enters a medium where it's speed is different. The refraction of light when it passes from a fast medium to a slow medium bends the light ray toward the normal to the boundary between the two media. The amount of bending depends on the indices of refraction of the two media and is described quantitatively by Snell's Law.
Why light enters water does it speed up or slow down?
Slows IF it enters the water from air (and not - say - glass).
When the light enters a denser medium what happens to the wavelengths?
The denser an object is, the slower a wave will travel through it because the wave will interact (collide!) with more molecules. Each collision will serve to slow down the wave of light. Therefore, the wavelength will increase, becoming longer.
Why light bends towards normal when it enters from optically rare to optically denser medium why it does not bend away from the normal?
This is because of the speed of light getting reduced as it enters into the denser medium. Think of the FRONT of the wave as it enters a more-dense medium at an angle, and its speed decreases. Vizualize it in very slow motion: -- The wave-front arrives at angle, so part of it is across the boundary and into the new medium, while part of it is still out in the old medium. -- The part of the wave-front in the new medium is traveling slower, while the part that hasn't quite reached the boundary yet is still out in the old medium and traveling faster. -- If your vizualization is running accurately, this action is causing the whole wave-front to turn, becoming more parallel with the boundary, and its direction of motion turning toward the normal.
Why a regular object bends in water?
Water's particles are denser than air's, so when the light enters water, the light rays slow down, so travel at a shallower angle to the angle at which the light enters (incidence).
How can you change the medium that light travels through?
Anything that light will penetrate is a medium light will travel through. Any such medium will slow light down, to a certain degree. Window glass slows light down somewhat. Water slows light down a bit more. A diamond slows light down greatly (part of the reason for the "fire" in a diamond.)
What happens to the speed of light waves when they travel through a medium?
The speed of light in a material medium is slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. This is a consequence of the electromagnetic wave interacting with the atoms and molecules in the medium, a process merits its own question.Of course, this assumes the medium is transparent for the wavelength of light travelling through it.Light waves slow down when they pass through a medium, eg glass or water
Explain why light bends when it passes from one medium to another?
Light moves at the speed a medium permits. It is "handed off" to each bit of material in turn. One "side" of light encounters the different medium before the other, and so a turn is involved. Think of drivng a car along a road, with one tire on smooth pavement, and the other tire on rough pavement. You have to slightly turn the steering wheel to keep from turning across this interface between smooth (low n, high speed) and rough (high n, lower speed). Light *has* no steering wheel.
A sound wave moves from a medium where particles of matter are closely packed to a medium where particles of matter are further apart How do you expect the sound wave to travel differently?
The wave will move faster, increasing its speed.
What causes light rays to bend when they enter a new medium at an angle?
Light rays bend when they enter a new medium at an angle because they either slow down or speed up. They speed up the most if they are in a vacuum.
When light passes from a fast medium to a slow medium is it refracted towards or away from the normal?
Light is refracted away from the normal while passing from denser(slow) medium to a rarer(fast) medium.At one angle called the critical angle the angle of diffraction is 900.After this the ray diffract at an angle greater than 90 i.e. it comes back to the slow medium.Whereas from faster to slower medium the rays bend towards the normal.Thus avoiding the possibility of coming back to the slow medium.
