A light ray enters a glass prism with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction?
Practice Questions
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Q1
A light ray enters a glass prism with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction?
15 degrees
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25 degrees
30 degrees
Using Snell's law, n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r). Here, n1 = 1 (air), n2 = 1.5, i = 30 degrees. Solving gives r = 19.2 degrees.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: A light ray enters a glass prism with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction?
Solution: Using Snell's law, n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r). Here, n1 = 1 (air), n2 = 1.5, i = 30 degrees. Solving gives r = 19.2 degrees.
Steps: 10
Step 1: Identify the refractive indices. The refractive index of air (n1) is approximately 1.0, and the refractive index of the glass prism (n2) is 1.5.
Step 2: Write down Snell's law formula: n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r).
Step 3: Substitute the known values into the formula. Here, n1 = 1.0, n2 = 1.5, and the angle of incidence (i) = 30 degrees.
Step 4: Calculate sin(i). Find sin(30 degrees), which is 0.5.
Step 5: Substitute sin(i) into the equation: 1.0 * 0.5 = 1.5 * sin(r).
Step 6: Simplify the equation: 0.5 = 1.5 * sin(r).
Step 7: Solve for sin(r) by dividing both sides by 1.5: sin(r) = 0.5 / 1.5.
