A ray of light traveling in air strikes the surface of water at an angle of incidence of 45 degrees. What is the angle of refraction?

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Q: A ray of light traveling in air strikes the surface of water at an angle of incidence of 45 degrees. What is the angle of refraction?

Solution: Using Snell's law, n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r). For air (n1=1) and water (n2=1.33), we find r = 45 degrees.

Steps: 10

Step 1: Identify the angle of incidence (i). In this case, it is given as 45 degrees.
Step 2: Identify the refractive indices. For air, n1 = 1, and for water, n2 = 1.33.
Step 3: Write down Snell's law formula: n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r).
Step 4: Substitute the known values into the formula: 1 * sin(45 degrees) = 1.33 * sin(r).
Step 5: Calculate sin(45 degrees), which is approximately 0.7071.
Step 6: Rewrite the equation: 0.7071 = 1.33 * sin(r).
Step 7: Solve for sin(r) by dividing both sides by 1.33: sin(r) = 0.7071 / 1.33.
Step 8: Calculate sin(r), which is approximately 0.5315.
Step 9: Find the angle r by taking the inverse sine (arcsin) of 0.5315.
Step 10: The angle of refraction (r) is approximately 32 degrees.