Refraction of Light Fundamentals2

Refraction and TIR | Two Column Physics Notes

Refraction and Total Internal Reflection (TIR)

Laws of Refraction

Snell’s Law:

\[ \frac{\sin i}{\sin r} = n_{21} = \frac{v_1}{v_2} \]

The constant represents refractive index.

Coplanarity:

Incident ray, refracted ray and normal lie in same plane.

Higher refractive index → slower light → more bending.

Rarer → Denser

Ray bends towards normal

\[ i > r, \quad \frac{\sin i}{\sin r} > 1 \]

\[ n = \frac{c}{v} \]

Lateral Shift

Emergent ray is parallel but shifted.

\[ L = \sin(i - r)\frac{t}{\cos r} \]

  • \(L\): shift
  • \(t\): thickness
  • \(i, r\): angles

Absolute Refractive Index

\[ n_1 = \frac{c}{v_1}, \quad n_2 = \frac{c}{v_2} \]

\(c\) = speed of light in vacuum

Relative Refractive Index

\[ \frac{n_2}{n_1} = \frac{v_1}{v_2} \]

\[ n_{21} = \frac{n_2}{n_1} \]

Denser → Rarer

Bends away from normal

\[ i < r, \quad \frac{\sin i}{\sin r} < 1 \]

\[ \frac{1}{n} = \frac{v}{c} \]

Reversibility of Light

Light retraces same path if direction reversed.

Important concept for ray optics problems.

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