Question

Which best describes what happens when light traveling through air enters water at an angle? It moves along straight lines in air and changes direction when it enters water. It moves in a curve in air and moves in straight lines when it enters water. It moves along straight lines in air and continues along the same lines when it enters water. It moves in a curve in air and continues moving in the same curve when it enters water.

Answer 1

A: It moves along straight lines in air and changes direction when it enters water.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

It moves along straight lines in air and changes direction when it enters water.

Step-by-step explanation:

When light travels from one medium to another, it undergoes a phenomenon called refraction: the ray of light changes speed and also direction, but it continues to move in a straight line.

There is a relationship between the direction of the incident ray and the direction of the refracted ray: (Snell's Law)

`n_1 sin \theta_1 = n_2 sin \theta_2`

where

n1 is the index of refraction of the first medium

`\theta_1` is the angle that the incident ray forms with the normal to the surface

n2 is the index of refraction of the second medium

`\theta_2` is the angle that the refracted ray forms with the normal to the surface