Light Interactions

Front

What happens to blue light when sunlight travels through a lot of air in the evening?

Back

Blue light scatters, leaving only redder light.

Front

What is the phenomenon called when objects appear bent when placed in water?

Back

Refraction.

Front

What is the best way to represent the refraction of light when it passes through a material?

Back

A diagram showing the bending of light rays as they enter and exit the material.

Front

What type of interference occurs when light bounces off a surface?

Back

Reflection.

Front

What is the term for the spreading of waves as they pass through a narrow opening or around obstacles?

Back

Diffraction.

Front

Define refraction in the context of light waves.

Back

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another with a different density.

Front

What is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction?

Back

According to Snell's Law, the angle of incidence is related to the angle of refraction by the indices of refraction of the two media.

Front

What is the index of refraction?

Back

The index of refraction is a measure of how much light slows down in a medium compared to its speed in a vacuum.

Front

How does diffraction differ from reflection and refraction?

Back

Diffraction involves the bending and spreading of waves around obstacles, while reflection is the bouncing of waves off surfaces and refraction is the bending of waves as they pass through different media.

Front

What is total internal reflection?

Back

Total internal reflection occurs when light hits a boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, causing it to reflect entirely back into the medium.