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Refraction Of Light definitions

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Terms in this set (15)

  • Refraction
    The change in direction of light as it passes from one medium to another due to a change in speed.
  • Boundary
    The interface between two different media where light can reflect or transmit.
  • Medium
    A substance through which light travels, affecting its speed and direction.
  • Normal
    An imaginary line perpendicular to the boundary surface used to measure angles of incidence and refraction.
  • Index of Refraction
    A measure of how much light slows down in a medium compared to a vacuum.
  • Vacuum
    A space devoid of matter where light travels at its maximum speed.
  • Snell's Law
    A formula that relates the angles and indices of refraction of light as it crosses a boundary.
  • Incident Angle
    The angle between the incoming light ray and the normal at the boundary.
  • Refracted Angle
    The angle between the refracted light ray and the normal in the new medium.
  • Wavefront
    A surface over which an optical wave has a constant phase.
  • Wavelet
    A small wave generated at a point on a wavefront, used in Huygens' principle.
  • Huygens' Principle
    A theory that every point on a wavefront is a source of wavelets that spread out in the forward direction.
  • Electromagnetic Waves
    Waves of electric and magnetic fields that light is composed of.
  • Refractive Index
    Another term for the index of refraction, indicating how much light bends in a medium.
  • Arc Sine
    A mathematical function used to determine an angle from its sine value.