Chapter 35.

Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

Chapter 35. Refraction

The Index of Refraction (Refer to Table 35-1 for values of n.)
35-1. The speed of light through a certain medium is 1.6 x 108 m/s in a transparent medium, what is the index of refraction in that medium? n= c 3 x 108 m/s = ; v 1.6 x 108 m/s n = 1.88

35-2. If the speed of light is to be reduced by one-third, what must be the index of refraction for the medium through which the light travels? The speed c is reduced by a third, so that: vx = ( 2 3 )c; n= c c = ; 2 v x ( 3 )c n= 3 and 2 n = 1.50

35-3. Compute the speed of light in (a) crown glass, (b) diamond, (c) water, and (d) ethyl alcohol. (a) vg = (Since n = c/v, we find that v = c/n for each of these media.) 3 x 108 m/s 3 x 108 m/s ; vg = 1.97 x 108 m/s (b) vd = ; vd = 1.24 x 108 m/s 1.50 2.42 3 x 108 m/s ; v = 2.26x 108 m/s 1.33 (b) va = 3 x 108 m/s ; va = 2.21 x 108 m/s 1.36

(a) vw =

35-4 If light travels at 2.1 x 108 m/s in a transparent medium, what is the index of refraction? n= (3 x 108 m/s) ; 2.1 x 108 m/s n = 1.43

The Laws of Refraction

35-5. Light is incident at an angle of 370 from air to flint glass (n = 1.6). What is the angle of refraction into the glass? ng sin g = na sin a ; sin g = (1.0) sin 37 0 ; 1.6 g = 22.10

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Chapter 35. Refraction

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35-6. A beam of light makes an angle of 600 with the surface of water. What is the angle of refraction into the water? na sin a = nw sin w ; sin w = na sin a nw
0

air

600

nw = 1.5

(1)sin 600 sin w = = 0.651; 1.33

water

w = 40.6

35-7. Light passes from water (n = 1.33) to air. The beam emerges into air at an angle of 320 with the horizontal water surface? What is the angle of incidence inside the water? = 900 320 = 580; na sin a = nw sin w ; (1)sin 580 = 638; 1.33 sin w = na sin a nw

sin w =

w = 39.60

35-8. Light in air is incident at 600 and is refracted into an unknown medium at an angle of 400. What is the index of refraction for the unknown medium? nx sin x = na sin a ; nx = na sin a (1)(sin 600 ) = ; sin x sin 400 n = 1.35

35-9. Light strikes from medium A into medium B at an angle of 350 with the horizontal boundary. If the angle of refraction is also 350, what is the relative index of refraction between the two media? [ A = 900 350 = 550. ] nA sin A = nB sin B ; nB sin A sin 550 = = ; nA sin B sin 350 nr = 1.43
350 B A

350

nB sin 550 = = 1.43; nA sin 350

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35-10. Light incident from air at 450 is refracted into a transparent medium at an angle of 340. What is the index of refraction for the material? nA sin A = nm sin m ; nm = (1)sin 450 ; sin 350 nm = 1.23

*35-11. A ray of light originating in air (Fig. 35-20) is incident on water (n = 1.33) at an angle of 600. It then passes through the water entering glass (n = 1.50) and finally emerging back into air again. Compute the angle of emergence. The angle of refraction into one medium becomes the angle of incidence for the next, and so on . . . nair sin air = nw sin w = ng sin g = nair sin air Thus it is seen that a ray emerging into the same medium as that from which it originally entered has the same angle: e = i = 600 ng = 1.55 nair = 1 air nair = 1 nw = 1.33

*35-12. Prove that, no matter how many parallel layers of different media are traversed by light, the entrance angle and the final emergent angle will be equal as long as the initial and final media are the same. The prove is the same as shown for Problem 35-11: e = i = 600

nair sin air = nw sin w = ng sin g = nair sin air;

Wavelength and Refraction

35-13. The wavelength of sodium light is 589 nm in air. Find its wavelength in glycerine. From Table 28-1, the index for glycerin is: n = 1.47.

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Chapter 35. Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

g na = ; a ng

g =

a na (589 nm)(1) = ; ng 1.47

g = 401 nm

35-14. The wavelength decreases by 25 percent as it goes from air to an unknown medium. What is the index of refraction for that medium? A decrease of 25% means x is equal to of its air value:

x = 0.750; air

nair n = x = 0.750; nair = air ; nx air 0.750

nx = 1.33

35-15. A beam of light has a wavelength of 600 nm in air. What is the wavelength of this light as it passes into glass (n = 1.50)? ng nair =

air n (1)(600 nm) ; g = air air = ; g ng 1.5

g = 400 nm

35-16. Red light (620 nm) changes to blue light (478 nm) when it passes into a liquid. What is the index of refraction for the liquid? What is the velocity of the light in the liquid? nL r n (1)(620 nm) = ; nL = air r = ; nair b b 478 nm nL = 1.30

*35-17. A ray of monochromatic light of wavelength 400 nm in medium A is incident at 300 at the boundary of another medium B. If the ray is refracted at an angle of 500, what is its wavelength in medium B? sin A A = ; sin B B

B =

A sin B (400 nm)sin500 = ; sin A sin300

B = 613 nm

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Chapter 35. Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

Total Internal Reflection

35-18. What is the critical angle for light moving from quartz (n = 1.54) to water (n = 1.33). sin c = n2 1.33 = ; n1 1.54 c = 59.70

35-19. The critical angle for a given medium relative to air is 400. What is the index of refraction for the medium? sin c = n2 ; n1 nx = nair 1 = ; 0 sin 40 sin 400 nx = 1.56

35-20. If the critical angle of incidence for a liquid to air surface is 460, what is the index of refraction for the liquid? sin c = n2 ; n1 nx = nair 1 = ; 0 sin 46 sin 460 nx = 1.39

35-21. What is the critical angle relative to air for (a) diamond, (b) water, and (c) ethyl alcohol. Diamond: sin c = n2 ; n1 n2 ; n1 n2 ; n1 sin c = 1.0 ; 2.42 1.0 ; 1.33 1.0 ; 1.36 c = 24.40

Water:

sin c =

sin c =

c = 48.80

Alcohol:

sin c =

sin c =

c = 47.30

35-22. What is the critical angle for flint glass immersed in ethyl alcohol? sin c = n2 1.36 = ; n1 1.63 c = 56.50

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Physics, 6th Edition

*35-23. A right-angle prism like the one shown in Fig. 35-10a is submerged in water. What is the minimum index of refraction for the material to achieve total internal reflection? np nw = 1.33 n 1.33 1.33 w = ; np = ; c < 450; sin c = np np sin 450 np = 1.88 (Minimum for total internal reflection.)

Challenge Problems
35-24. The angle of incidence is 300 and the angle of refraction is 26.30. If the incident medium is water, what might the refractive medium be? nx sin x = nw sin w ; nx = nw sin w (1.33)(sin 300 ) = ; sin x sin 26.30 n = 1.50, glass

35-25. The speed of light in an unknown medium is 2.40 x 108 m/s. If the wavelength of light in this unknown medium is 400 nm, what is the wavelength in air? c air = ; vx x

air

(400 nm)(3 x 108 m/s) = ; (2.40 x 108 m/s)

x = 500 nm

35-26. A ray of light strikes a pane of glass at an angle of 300 with the glass surface. If the angle of refraction is also 300, what is the index of refraction for the glass? nA sin A = ng sin g ; ng nA = sin A sin 600 = ; sin g sin 300 nr = 1.73

35-27. A beam of light is incident on a plane surface separating two media of indexes 1.6 and 1.4. The angle of incidence is 300 in the medium of higher index. What is the angle of refraction? sin 2 n1 = ; sin 1 n2 n2 sin 2 1.6sin 300 sin 1 = = ; n1 1.4 236 1 = 34.80

Chapter 35. Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

35-28. In going from glass (n = 1.50) to water (n = 1.33), what is the critical angle for total internal reflection? sin c = n2 1.33 = ; n1 1.50 c = 62.50

35-29. Light of wavelength 650 nm in a particular glass has a speed of 1.7 x 108 m/s. What is the index of refraction for this glass? What is the wavelength of this light in air? n= vg vair 3 x 108 m/s ; 1.7 x 108 m/s n = 1.76

g ; a

air =

(3 x 108 m/s)(650 nm) ; 1.7 x 108 m/s

air = 1146 nm

35-30. The critical angle for a certain substance is 380 when it is surrounded by air. What is the index of refraction of the substance? sin c = n2 ; n1 n1 = 1.0 ; sin 380 n1 = 1.62

35-31. The water in a swimming pool is 2 m deep. How deep does it appear to a person looking vertically down? q nair 1.00 = = ; p nw 1.33 q= 2m ; 1.33 q = 1.50 m

35-32. A plate of glass (n = 1.50) is placed over a coin on a table. The coin appears to be 3 cm below the top of the glass plate. What is the thickness of the glass plate? q nair 1.00 = = ; p ng 1.50 p = 1.50q = (1.50)(3 cm); p = 4.50 cm

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Chapter 35. Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

Critical Thinking Problems

*35-33. Consider a horizontal ray of light striking one edge of an equilateral prism of glass (n = 1.50) as shown in Fig. 35-21. At what angle will the ray emerge from the other side? sin 300 1.50 = ; sin 1 1.0
0 0

sin 300 sin 1 = ; 1.5

0

1 = 19.47 0
30
0
0 0 0

600
2 1 4 3

n = 1.5

2 = 90 19.47 = 70.5 ; 3 = 180 (60 + 70.5 ) 3 = 49.470; 4 = 900 49.460; 4 = 40.530 = 77.10

600

600

sin 40.50 1.00 = ; sin 1.5

sin = 1.5sin 40.50 ;

*35-34. What is the minimum angle of incidence at the first face of the prism in Fig. 35-21 such that the beam is refracted into air at the second face? (Larger angles do not produce total internal reflection at the second face.) [ First find critical angle for 4 ] sin 4 c = nair 1 = ; 4c = 41.80 ; ng 1.5 Now find 1: 3 = 900 41.80 = 48.20

2 = 1800 (48.20 + 600); 2 = 71.8 and 1 = 900 71.80 = 18.20 sin18.20 1.00 = ; sin min 1.50 sin min = 1.5sin18.20 ; min = 27.90

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Chapter 35. Refraction

Physics, 6th Edition

35-35. Light passing through a plate of transparent material of thickness t suffers a lateral displacement d, as shown in Fig. 35-22. Compute the lateral displacement if the light passes through glass surrounded by air. The angle of incidence 1 is 400 and the glass (n = 1.50) is 2 cm thick. sin 400 1.5 = ; sin 2 1.0 400 500 2 cm 2 3 R t d

2 = 25.40

3 = 900 (25.40 + 500); 3 = 14.60 cos 25.40 = sin 3 = 2 cm ; R R = 2.21 cm ;

d ; d = R sin 3 = (2.21 cm) sin14.60 ; R

d = 5.59 mm

*35-36. A rectangular shaped block of glass (n = 1.54) is submerged completely in water (n = 1.33). A beam of light traveling in the water strikes a vertical side of the glass block at an angle of incidence 1 and is refracted into the glass where it continues to the top surface of the block. What is the minimum angle 1 at the side such that the light does not go out of the glass at the top? (First find c ) sin c = 1.33 = 0.864; c = 59.70 1.54 2 = 30.30 239 1 nw = 1.33 c 2 ng = 1.54

2 = 900 59.70 = 30.30;

Chapter 35. Refraction sin 1 n2 = ; sin 2 n1 sin1 1.54 = ; 0 sin30.3 1.33 1.54sin 30.30 sin 1 = ; 1.33

Physics, 6th Edition

1 = 35.70

For angles smaller than 35.70, the light will leave the glass at the top surface. *35-37. Prove that the lateral displacement in Fig. 35-22 can be calculated from n cos 1 d = t sin 1 1 1 n2 cos 2 Use this relationship to verify the answer to Critical Thinking Problem 35-35. cos1 = d ; p p= d cos 1 tan 2 = a ; t 1 2 1 d 1 p 1 d

tan 1 =

sin 1 p + a = ; cos1 t a=t

a = t tan 2 ;

sin 2 d ; p= cos 2 cos1

2 a

sin 2 d +t sin 1 p + a cos 1 cos 2 = = cos1 t t

Simplifying this expression and solving for d, we obtain: d = t sin 1 n1 sin 1 n2

t sin 2 cos 1 cos 2

Now, n2 sin2 = n1 sin1 or

sin 2 =

Substitution and simplifying, we finally obtain the expression below: n cos 1 d = t sin 1 1 1 n2 cos 2 Substitution of values from Problem 35-35, gives the following result for d: 240

Chapter 35. Refraction d = 5.59 mm

Physics, 6th Edition

241