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What happens to a ray of light when it travels from a dense medium to a less dense medium?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
-- Its speed becomes less in the denser medium.
-- Its wavelength becomes greater in the denser medium.
-- If its direction is not perpendicular to the boundary between the media, then
its path in the denser medium is closer to the perpendicular. (This is 'refraction'.)
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe ray of light bends towards the normal line.The reason is the light in the more dense reagion has slower speed. The relation is given in the laws of signs:
sin(incident angle)/incident speed =sin(refracted angle )/dense speed
sin(I)/vi=sin(dense)/vd
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoIt will be become bent as it passed from a dense object into a less dense object.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoIt bends towards the normal if it does not hit with zero angle of incidence.
Zero angle of incidence is called normal (perpendicular) to the (in this case) denser medium.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoit bends away from the normal
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A substance that a wave travels through is called a?
The material through which a wave travels is called a medium.
Through what medium does light travel?
Light travels through a vacuum, and through the densest metals (though not usually very far). But then gamma radiation and radio waves are examples of light...
A type of energy that travels as a wave but does not require a medium through which to travel?
Light energy.
What happens to the direction of a light wave when it passes from a less dense medium such as air into more dense medium such as glass?
the light 'beam' (if you like) will slightly change direction this is bending light, light only travels in straight lines but due to the shape of the glass it changes direction when the beam exits the glass its should go back to its shape of ligh beam .
Where does refraction occur?
Refraction occurs because waves move at different speeds in different bodies. Because a wave hits the other medium at an angle, part of the wave changes speed earlier than the rest, turning the waves. this is most obvious with light waves in water, but it happens with all types of waves in any change of medium.
What happens when light goes from a less dense medium to a more dense medium?
It slows and bends.
What happens to the speed and wavelenght and frequency of a wave when it reaches the boundary between two media?
Frequency never changes since it depends only on source. Speed can either increase or decrease, depending on the direction of travel of light. This would cause an increase or decrease in wavelength respectively. Speed increases when light travels from an optically denser medium to an optically less dense one. (For example, when light travels from water to air) Speed decreases when light travels from an optically less dense medium to an optically denser medium.
What happens to a ray of light when it travels from a more dense medium into a less dense medium?
It will be refracted accordingly, based on Snell's law. In this case, the angle of incidence is smaller than the angle of refraction, and as it is traveling from a more dense to a less dense medium, it may undergo total internal reflection, provided that the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.
What happens to the light that is directed to a medium with different density?
The light ray bends when it enters a medium with different density. It either bends towards or away from the normal depending on whether the medium is more dense or less dense.
What happens to the dirtier of a light wave when it passes from a less dense medium such as air into a more dense medium such as glass?
The answer depends on what on earth you mean by the "dirtier" of a wave.
When light travels from a less optically dense medium to an optically denser one it bends.which statemant describe the bending?
Refraction.
Is the angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction when light passes from a less dense to denser medium?
If you meant optical density by the term 'denser ' Then the answer is.... The light bends towards normal when it travels from a optically less dense medium to optically dense medium. So angle of incidence is greater than the angle of refraction
What happens when light and its wavelength travels from one medium to another?
The speed of light and its wavelength decreases when it enters a new medium. The physicist Snell showed that it can vary.
What happens to the direction of light wave when it passes from less dense medium such as air into a more dense medium such as glass?
The light bends when it passes from one medium to another. But only if it approaches the interface at an angle. In such a case it will still travel slower, but there will be no apparent bending.
When light passes from one medium to another medium in which it travels slower the light is bent away from the normal?
Without getting too complicated, the "more dense medium"'s gravitational pull alters the path of the light. The ray of light will bend away from the normal.
What is refraction when associated with physical science?
refraction is when light travels from a more dense medium to a less dense medium (or vice versa) and bends away from the normal (more to less) or towards the normal (less to more!!) hope i helped!!
Why is it important to explain the speed of light together with the medium in which the light travels?
The speed of light is dependent on the medium it travels through. Light travels fastest in a vacuum than in water or air.
