A beam of light passes from air into a medium with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction? (2022)

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19.1 degrees
20 degrees
25 degrees
30 degrees

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Q: A beam of light passes from air into a medium with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction? (2022)

Solution: Using Snell's law, n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r). Thus, sin(r) = (1 * sin(30)) / 1.5 = 0.333, giving r ≈ 19.1 degrees.

Steps: 9

Step 1: Identify the refractive indices. The refractive index of air (n1) is approximately 1, and the refractive index of the medium (n2) is 1.5.
Step 2: Identify the angle of incidence (i), which is given as 30 degrees.
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(30 degrees) = 1.5 * sin(r).
Step 5: Calculate sin(30 degrees), which is 0.5. So the equation becomes: 1 * 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.
Step 8: Calculate 0.5 / 1.5, which equals approximately 0.333.
Step 9: Find the angle r by taking the inverse sine (arcsin) of 0.333: r ≈ 19.1 degrees.

A beam of light passes from air into a medium with a refractive index of 1.5. If the angle of incidence is 30 degrees, what is the angle of refraction? (2022)

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