Question

A laser is transmitted from inside a substance with an index of refraction of 1.40 at an angle of 22(from the normal) into air. What is the angle of the refracted light in air?

Answer 1

The angle of the refracted light in air is approximately 15.8°.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a laser is transmitted from a substance with an index of refraction of 1.40 at an angle of 22° from the normal into air, we can use Snell's Law to determine the angle of the refracted light in air.

Snell's Law states that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is equal to the ratio of the indices of refraction:

sin(angle of incidence) / sin(angle of refraction) = index of refraction of first medium / index of refraction of second medium

In this case, the index of refraction of the substance is 1.40 and the index of refraction of air is approximately 1.

By substituting the values into Snell's Law, we can solve for the angle of refraction in air:

1. sin(22°) / sin(angle of refraction) = 1.40 / 1
2. Cross-multiply to solve for the sine of the angle of refraction: sin(angle of refraction) = sin(22°) / 1.40
3. Take the inverse sine (arcsine) of both sides to find the angle of refraction in air: angle of refraction = arcsin(sin(22°) / 1.40)

Using this method, the angle of the refracted light in air is approximately 15.8°.

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