Light travels from air into ice of refractive index 1.31. The angle of incidence is 37°. Calculate the angle of refraction.

Question

Accepted Answer

Final answer: 27.3° For light travelling from air into the material, Snell's law becomes n = sin i/sin r because the refractive index of air is approximately 1. Rearrange before substituting: sin r = sin i/n = sin 37° ÷ 1.31 = 0.459. Take the inverse sine: r = sin⁻¹(0.459) = 27.3°. Check: 27.3° is smaller than the 37° incidence angle, so the ray bends towards the normal on entering the higher-index material.

Refraction into ice

Light travels from air into ice of refractive index 1.31. The angle of incidence is 37°. Calculate the angle of refraction.

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