Fill in the following blank with a suitable word:When a ray of light goes from air into a clear material, you see the ray bend. How much the ray bends is determined by the ___________ of the material.

Academic Physics NCERT Class 10

When a ray of light goes from air into a clear material, you see the ray bend. How much the ray bends is determined by the refractive index of the material.

Explanation

The angle of refraction or the amount of bending of light depends on the refractive index $(μ)$ of the two media.

1. When light passes through a low refractive index, like air (faster medium or optically rarer medium) to a high refractive index, like glass (slower medium or optically denser medium), its speed decreases and bends towards the normal.

2. When light passes through a high refractive index, like glass (slower medium or optically denser medium) to a low refractive index, like air (faster medium or optically rarer medium) its speed increases and bends away from the normal.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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