S2-2nd Edit Unit-6 (6.2 Refraction)

6.
2 Refraction
Refraction
 When you look through a glass of water or
through a wet window, you cannot see
clearly.
 Look carefully at the picture, which shows a
glass of water on a table.
 The background, through the glass of water,
appears distorted.
 Distorted means changed to be less clear.
 The background appears distorted because of
refraction.
 The material that light passes through is called a medium.
 Air, glass and water are each examples of a medium for light to pass through.
 You will remember that light travels very fast.
 The speed of light in air is 300 000 kilometres per second.
 When light passes from air into water or glass, the light travels more slowly.
 The table shows how the speed of light changes according to the medium.
Medium Speed of light in kilometres per second

air 300000
water 225000
glass 200000
 The change of speed can cause the light to change direction. Imagine
you are on roller skates.
 You are moving at a constant speed on a hard surface. The roller skate on
one foot goes onto grass. What happens?
 You will change direction because one roller skate is moving slower than
the other.
 This is what happens when a ray of light passes from air into glass or
water.
 One side of the ray of light slows down first, causing it to change
direction.
 Refraction of light is defined as the change in direction of light on
passing from one medium to another because of change in speed.
Light passing from air into water or glass
 This ray diagram shows what happens when light passes from air into
glass or water.
 The light slows down when it passes from air into glass or water. This
causes it to change direction.
Light passing from air

into glass or water is bent
towards the normal.
 The light passing from air into glass or water is bent towards the
normal.
 That means the refracted ray is closer to the normal than it would be
if the incident ray just carried on in a straight line.
 Notice also from the ray diagram that, when light passes from air
into glass or water, the angle of incidence is greater than the angle of
refraction.
 Both of these angles are measured from the normal.
Light passing from water or glass into air
 The ray diagram shows what happens when a ray of light passes from water
or glass into air.
 The light speeds up when it passes from glass or water into air.
 This causes it to change direction.
Light passing from glass or

water into air is bent away
from the normal.
 We say that the light passing from glass or water into air is bent
away from the normal.
 That means the refracted ray is further away from the normal than it
would be if the incident ray just carried on in a straight line.
 You will also notice from the ray diagram that when light passes
from glass or water into air the angle of refraction is greater than the
angle of incidence.
 Both of these angles are measured from the normal.
Refraction in everyday life
 Refraction can be a nuisance. It can stop
you from seeing clearly through wet
windows.
 Each individual drop of water on the
window refracts light in a different
direction, making it very difficult to see.
 This is why many vehicles have
windscreen wipers.
 The windscreen wipers remove the water
drops. Drops of water on glass make it difficult
to see because of refraction.
 It is then easier to see clearly as all the
refraction from the glass is in the same
direction.
 Refraction can also be useful. Lenses are used in our eyes, in cameras
and in glasses that people wear, to cause refraction of light.
 A lens is a curved piece of glass that is designed to refract light in a
known way.
This phone has a lens to refract Different glasses refract light in different
light for a photograph. ways to help people to see more clearly.
Questions
1. Complete the sentences, using ‘faster’ or slower.
a. Light travels … in water than it does in air.
b. Light travels … in air than it does in glass.
Answer
a. Light travels slower in water than it does in air.
b. Light travels faster in air than it does in glass.
Questions
2. Complete the sentence to describe refraction correctly.
Refraction of light happens when light ……….. direction because
of a change in ………..
Answer
Refraction of light is when light changes direction because of a change
in speed. (accept medium).
Questions
3. This ray diagram shows a ray of light in air. Copy and complete the
ray diagram to show what happens when the ray of light enters the
glass. Include on your diagram:
• the normal
• the angle of incidence
• the refracted ray
• the angle of refraction.
Questions
4. This diagram shows a ray of light in water. Copy and complete the
ray diagram to show what happens when the ray of light enters the
air. Include on your diagram:
• the normal
• the angle of incidence
• the refracted ray
• the angle of refraction.

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6.

Medium Speed of light in kilometres per second

Light passing from air

Light passing from glass or

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