Instructional Master

LSM 9.1-5

Refraction of Waves

(a)

(b)
lower speed
(shallow water)

higher speed
(deep water)

boundary

boundary

normal

normal

i

i

i

i

refracted
wave ray

refracted
wave ray

incident
wave
ray

R

incident
wave
ray

R

R

R

lower speed
(shallow water)

higher speed
(deep water)

Figure 5
(a) When water waves travel obliquely into a slower medium, the wave ray bends toward the normal.
(b) If the new medium is a faster one, the wave ray bends away from the normal.

298 Chapter 9 Waves and Light

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