Question

When light changes mediums, there is both a reflected component and a refracted component. What is true about each?

Refraction

Reflection

1.
The angle of the component is greater than the angle of the incident light

2.
The angle of the component is less than the angle of the incident light

3.
The angle of the component could be greater than or less than the angle of the incident light, depending on the mediums involved

4.
The angle of the component will be equal to the angle of the incident light.

Answer 1

The correct statement for each component when light changes mediums is as follows:

Refraction:

3. The angle of the component could be greater than or less than the angle of the incident light, depending on the mediums involved.

Reflection:

4. The angle of the component will be equal to the angle of the incident light.

In refraction, when light passes from one medium to another with a different refractive index, the direction of the light can change, causing it to bend. The amount of bending depends on the angle at which the light enters the new medium and the refractive indices of the two media.

In reflection, when light encounters a boundary between two media and does not pass into the second medium, it bounces back from the boundary, following the law of reflection. According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, i.e., the angle between the incident light and the normal to the surface.

I hope this helped!

~~~Harsha~~~