Relative to the angle of incidence, how will angle of refraction (θ₂) change when a monochromatic ray of light enters a medium of greater refractive index?

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11ecba2d_1309_b265_a3bf_01a5310818fa_MD0008_00 Refraction refers to the bending of light that takes place as light traveling at an angle passes from one medium to the next. Light will either bend (refract) toward or away from the normal (an axis perpendicular to the interface between media) depending on the index of refraction (n) of each medium. Snell's law relates the index of refraction of each medium (n₁ and n₂) to the angle of incidence (θ₁) and the angle of refraction (θ₂), the angle at which light approaches and departs the interface between media, respectively: 11ecba2d_1309_b266_a3bf_c5a70ba16935_MD0008_00 Rearrangement of Snell's law yields a form of the expression that is useful in predicting the direction of refraction when the relationship between refractive indices is known: 11ecba2d_1309_b267_a3bf_a19a27849fc4_MD0008_00 In this question, light leaves a medium with a lower refractive index and enters a medium with a higher refractive index such that: 11ecba2d_1309_b268_a3bf_afa1b3380a0e_MD0008_00 Therefore, sin θ₂/sin θ₁ must also be less than 1: 11ecba2d_1309_b269_a3bf_e17f3a24a6d6_MD0008_00 Consequently, θ₁ must be greater than θ₂ as light enters a medium of higher refractive index. In other words, the angle of refraction will decrease relative to the angle of incidence (ie, light will bend toward the normal) (Choice D). (Choice A) Total internal reflection may only occur when light leaves a medium with a higher refractive index and enters a medium with a lower refractive index, which is the opposite case to this scenario. (Choice B) Optical phenomena are often modeled by experiments utilizing monochromatic light (containing only one color). However, all forms of light are subject to refraction. (Choice C) The energy of light is a product of light frequency and Planck's constant, not the medium through which light travels. Educational objective: Snell's law may be used to predict the relationship between the angle of incidence and angle of refraction provided that the relationship between the refractive index of each medium is known. Light will bend toward the normal when it passes through a media interface from lower to higher refractive index.

Relative to the Angle of Incidence, How Will Angle of Refraction