Chapter 12: Light Waves

1 Refraction occurs at a boundary between two media. Explain why refraction occurs and what you
would expect to see if a ray of light was travelling from air into glass.

2 A student is provided with a rectangular glass block, a protractor, a ray box and a power supply.
Describe an investigation the student can conduct to determine the refractive index of the glass.

3 a State the equation for refractive index.

b In an experiment to determine the refractive index of water, a student measures the angle of
incidence to be 45°. The refractive index of water is 1.33. What is the angle of refraction that
was recorded?

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4 a State the equation linking refractive index and the critical angle of a material.

b Calculate the critical angle for glass if the refractive index of glass is 1.5.

c Explain the conditions for when total internal reflection occurs inside a semi-circular glass
block.

d State one application of total internal reflection.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.