A ray of light passes from air into glass at an angle of incidence of 30 degrees. If the refractive index of glass is 1.5, what is the angle of refraction?

Practice Questions

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20 degrees
30 degrees
18.4 degrees
22 degrees

Questions & Step-by-step Solutions

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Q: A ray of light passes from air into glass at an angle of incidence of 30 degrees. If the refractive index of glass is 1.5, what is the angle of refraction?

Solution: Using Snell's law, n1 * sin(i) = n2 * sin(r). Here, n1 = 1 (air), i = 30 degrees, n2 = 1.5 (glass). Thus, sin(r) = (1 * sin(30))/1.5 = 0.333, giving r ≈ 18.4 degrees.

Steps: 10

Step 1: Identify the refractive index of air (n1) and glass (n2). n1 = 1 (for air) and n2 = 1.5 (for glass).
Step 2: Note 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: To find sin(r), divide 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: Use the inverse sine function to find r: r = sin^(-1)(0.333).
Step 10: Calculate r, which is approximately 18.4 degrees.

A ray of light passes from air into glass at an angle of incidence of 30 degrees. If the refractive index of glass is 1.5, what is the angle of refraction?

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