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Refraction happens when a wave enters another medium at an angle.

The wave direction will bend towards the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to where the two media meet) if the medium it is entering is denser and will bend away from the normal if the medium is less dense.

The density of the media directly correlates to their speed. As you probably guessed, the denser the medium the slower it is. So basically when the wave bends toward the normal because it's entering a denser medium, it does so because the medium is slower.

An example that I heard from my physics teacher and find really helpful is what I've dubbed the Lawn Mower Analogy. Basically, think of mowing a lawn (slow/dense medium) with your lawn mower (ray). So you're going at an angle and all of a sudden you hit the sidewalk (fast/shallow medium). The first wheel that hits the sidewalk starts veering faster but the other wheel's still stuck on the grass, so it starts turning towards the border (away from the normal). When both wheels are on the pavement, the angle between lawnmower now is larger than when it was on the grass.

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Related Questions

What other objects can make refraction happen refraction happen?

Other objects that can make refraction happen include prisms, lenses, water droplets (creating a rainbow), and glass objects like windows or glasses. Refraction occurs when light passes from one medium to another and changes its speed, causing the light to bend.


What cause refraction of light to happen?

This is caused by a change in the speed of light .


Can refraction of light happen without changing the direction of light?

no. Energy is conserved.


When viewed from the side the pencil appears to be broken what process caused this to happen?

refraction


When will the refraction happen?

Refraction occurs when a wave changes speed as it moves from one medium to another, causing it to bend. This happens instantly at the boundary between the two mediums.


As em waves travel in space only one can happen... Reflection Attenuation absorption refraction.?

absorption


Can reflection and refraction happen at the same time?

Yes, reflection and refraction can happen at the same time when light encounters a boundary between two different mediums. Some light is reflected off the surface, while the remaining light is refracted into the second medium.


How does refraction change light?

What is Refraction?? What is Refraction??


What does light bend when it passes from air into glass?

refraction


What is a refraction why does it happen?

Refraction is the bending of light as it travels from one medium to another with a different density, such as from air to water. This change in speed causes the light waves to change direction. Refraction happens because light travels at different speeds in different mediums, leading to a change in the angle of the light wave.


What will happen the ray is shone at the prism?

when the ray is shone at the prism, refraction occurs and the light will split into it's original colour.


When there is no refraction of light and why does it happen?

There will be refraction when light passes from one substance to the other (for example, from air to water), when the two substances have different indices of refraction, and when light passes the surface at an angle. In other cases, there is no refraction.