Causes of Refraction of Light
As it is known that when light travels in different mediums its speed varies. e.g. light passes through the air than in a glass. Hence, it can be said that, due to the change in the speed of light in different mediums that the light rays are refracted.
To understand the causes of refraction of light in much depth let’s understand What are rarer and denser mediums? and Types of Refractions as:
What are Rarer and Denser mediums?
- Rarer medium (or Optically Rarer medium) is a medium in which the speed of light is more. For example, Air is optically rarer medium as compared to glass and water.
- Denser medium (or Optically Denser medium) is a medium in which the speed of light is less. For example, Glass is optically denser medium as compared to air.
Refraction of Light
Refraction is an important term used in the Ray Optics branch of Physics. Refraction of light is defined as the change in direction or the bending of a wave passing from one medium to another due to the change in speed of the wave. Some natural phenomena occurring in nature where refraction of light takes place are the twinkling of stars, the formation of mirages and Rainbows, Optical illusions, and many more. The major cause of refraction to occur is the change in the speed of waves in different mediums, which is different due to the difference between the densities of the mediums. e.g. the speed of light in a vacuum is maximum. Snell’s Law provides a quantitative description of the amount of bending of a wave, that depends on the refractive index of the two mediums. Let’s learn more about refraction like the Laws of Refractions, Causes of Refraction, Types of Refraction, Examples, and Applications of Refractions in the article below.
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