115k views
1 vote
Light has an incident angle of 40° as it leaves a n=1.3 material and enters a n=2.5 material. The angle of refraction is

User R J
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

To find the angle of refraction when light moves from a material with an index of refraction of 1.3 into one with 2.5, Snell's Law is utilized. Using the incident angle of 40°, the calculation involves the sines of the angles and the refractive indices of the materials.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking to determine the angle of refraction for light leaving a material with an index of refraction (n) of 1.3 and entering a material with an index of refraction of 2.5, given that the incident angle is 40°. To solve this, one would use Snell's Law, which relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the indices of refraction of the two media through the equation n1 × sin(θ1) = n2 × sin(θ2).

The indices of refraction provided are n1 = 1.3 for the first material and n2 = 2.5 for the second material. Since we have the incident angle θ1 = 40° and want to find the refraction angle θ2, we can rearrange the equation to solve for θ2:

θ2 = arcsin((n1/n2) × sin(θ1))

θ2 = arcsin((1.3/2.5) × sin(40°))

Performing the calculation will provide the refraction angle for this scenario.

User InaMelloMood
by
7.6k points