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Any help is appreciated please

Any help is appreciated please-example-1
User Josh Werts
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1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

C. It speeds up, and the angle increases

Step-by-step explanation:

We can answer by using the Snell's law:


n_i sin \theta_i = n_r sin \theta_r

where


n_i, n_r are the refractive index of the first and second medium


\theta_i is the angle of incidence (measured between the incident ray and the normal to the surface)


\theta_r is the angle of refraction (measured between the refracted ray and the normal to the surface)

In this problem, light moves into a medium that has lower index of refraction, so


n_r < n_i

We can rewrite Snell's law as


sin \theta_r =(n_i)/(n_r)sin \theta_i

and since


(n_i)/(n_r)>1

this means that


sin \theta_r > sin \theta_i

which implies


\theta_r > \theta_i

so, the angle increases.

Also, the speed of light in a medium is given by


v=(c)/(n)

where c is the speed of light and v the refractive index: we see that the speed is inversely proportional to n, therefore the lower the index of refraction, the higher the speed. So, in this problem, the light will speed up, since it moves into a medium with lower index of refraction.

User Kees Sonnema
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4.2k points