Question 1

When white light disperses as it passes through a prism,which of the following colors moves at the lowest speed in the prism?
A) blue
B) green
C) yellow
D) red

Accepted Answer

Blue light moves at the lowest speed in the prism because it has a shorter wavelength compared to the other colors mentioned, leading to a higher refractive index and thus slower speed within the prism.

Question 2

The lowest possible value for the index of refraction is: A) 0. B) 1. C) 0.707. D) 3^-1/2.

Accepted Answer

The index of refraction of a medium is always greater than or equal to 1. Therefore, the lowest possible value for the index of refraction is 1.

Question 3

A beam of light is incident upon a flat piece of glass (n = 1.50)at an angle of incidence of 56.0°.Part of the beam is transmitted and part is reflected.What is the angle between the reflected and transmitted rays?
A) 33.6°
B) 112°
C) 90.4°
D) 89.6°
E) ​102°

Accepted Answer

The answer of A beam of light is incident upon...

Question 4

Light in air enters a diamond (n = 2.42)at an angle of incidence of 57.0°.What is the angle of refraction inside the diamond?
A) 20.3°
B) 8.23°
C) 0.354°
D) 10.4°
E) ​57.0°

Accepted Answer

Snell's law: n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2n1 = 1 (air)n2 = 2.42 (diamond)θ1 = 57.0°θ2 = sin^-1((n1/n2) * sin θ1) = sin^-1((1/2.42) * sin 57.0°) = 20.3°

Question 5

Of the values listed below,which is the greatest possible value for the index of refraction?
A) 1.5
B)

C) 2.0
D) 3.3
E) ​

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the values listed below,which is the...

Question 6

When light from air hits a smooth piece of glass (n = 1.5)with the ray perpendicular to the glass surface,which of the following will occur? A) reflection and transmission with θ₂ = 0° B) refraction with θ₂ = 41.8° C) interference D) All of the above will occur.

Accepted Answer

When light hits a smooth piece of glass perpendicularly, reflection and transmission occur without refraction altering the angle; thus, the transmitted light continues at 0° relative to the normal.

Question 7

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 22.7° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.55,and the prism apex angle is 48.0°.What is the angle of refraction as the ray enters the air on the far side of the prism?
A) 1.03°
B) 59.0°
C) 20.9°
D) 13.3°
E) ​33.6°

Accepted Answer

The answer of A ray of light is incident on...

Question 8

When light from air hits a smooth piece of glass with the ray perpendicular to the glass surface,the part of the light passing into the glass:
A) will not change its speed.
B) will not change its frequency.
C) will not change its wavelength.
D) will not change its intensity.

Accepted Answer

When light transitions from one medium to another, its speed and wavelength can change due to the difference in the refractive index of the two media. However, the frequency of the light remains constant because it is determined by the source of the light and does not change when light moves from one medium to another.

Question 9

A light ray passes from air through a thin plastic slab (n = 1.34)with parallel sides.If the ray in air makes an angle of 33° with the normal after leaving the slab,what is the angle of incidence for the ray in air as it impinges upon the other side of the slab?
A) 24°
B) 33°
C) 18°
D) 25°
E) ​44°

Accepted Answer

The angle of incidence equals the angle of refraction when the light exits a medium with parallel sides, so the angle of incidence is 33°.

Question 10

A ray of white light,incident upon a glass prism,is dispersed into its various color components.Which one of the following colors experiences the greatest angle of deviation?
A) orange
B) violet
C) red
D) green

Accepted Answer

Violet light has the shortest wavelength among all the colors in the visible spectrum, which means it bends the most while passing through the prism. Hence, it experiences the greatest angle of deviation.

Question 11

A certain kind of glass has n_blue = 1.650 for blue light and n_red = 1.610 for red light.If a beam of white light (containing all colors)is incident at an angle of 60°,what is the angle between the red and blue light inside the glass? A) 0.90° B) 0.88° C) 59° D) 0.27° E) 89°

Accepted Answer

We can use Snell's law to determine the angles of refraction for the red and blue light inside the glass.

For the blue light: 
n1*sin(60°) = nblue*sin(θblue) 
1*sin(60°) = 1.650*sin(θblue) 
θblue = 23.70°

For the red light: 
n1*sin(60°) = nred*sin(θred) 
1*sin(60°) = 1.610*sin(θred) 
θred = 24.58°

The angle between the red and blue light inside the glass is: 
θblue - θred = 23.70° - 24.58° = 0.88°

Therefore, the answer is B.

Question 12

Dispersion occurs when:
A) some materials bend light more than other materials.
B) a material slows down some wavelengths more than others.
C) a material changes some frequencies more than others.
D) light has different speeds in different materials.

Accepted Answer

Dispersion occurs when a material slows down some wavelengths more than others, causing them to separate and create different colors. This is known as chromatic dispersion.

Question 13

Two mirrors are joined together along a common side,the planes of the mirrors separated by the angle θ.If the joined mirrors can be used as a retroreflector when a beam of light strikes both surfaces (one after the other),what is the value of θ?
A) 30°
B) 45°
C) 90°
D) 135°

Accepted Answer

For a retroreflector to work, the angle between the incident beam and the reflected beam must be 180°. This can only happen if the angle between the mirrors is 90°, so the correct answer is C.

Question 14

A light beam is incident upon a still water surface.What is the maximum possible value for the angle of refraction? (n_water = 1.333). A) 76.2° B) 67.5° C) 54.4° D) 48.6°

Accepted Answer

The maximum possible angle of refraction occurs when the incident angle is 90 degrees, which results in the refracted angle being equal to the critical angle. The critical angle can be found using Snell's Law: sin(critical angle) = n2/n1, where n1 is the refractive index of the first medium (air in this case) and n2 is the refractive index of the second medium (water in this case). Plugging in the given values, we get sin(critical angle) = 1/1.333, which corresponds to a critical angle of 48.6 degrees. Therefore, the maximum angle of refraction is also 48.6 degrees. The answer is D.

Question 15

Three materials with n₁ < n₂ < n₃ are arranged in layers of uniform thickness.A light ray in air enters the first layer at an angle of incidence of 30° and the ray eventually exits the third layer at the refracted angle θ in air.What is the value of θ? A) Some angle less than 30°. B) 30°. C) Some angle more than 30°. D) Insufficient information to answer.

Accepted Answer

According to Snell's Law, the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction are related by the indices of refraction of the two media. When light returns to the same medium it started in (air, in this case), the exit angle will equal the entrance angle if the layers are parallel, regardless of the indices of refraction of the intermediate layers. Thus, θ = 30°.

Question 16

An oil film floats on a water surface.The indices of refraction for water and oil,respectively,are 1.333 and 1.466.If a ray of light is incident on the air-to-oil surface at an angle of 25.4° with the normal,what is the incident angle at the oil-to-water surface?
A) 18.8°
B) 17.0°
C) 23.0°
D) 25.4°
E) ​20.8°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's law, we can find the refracted angle at the air-to-oil interface to be:

n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2)
(1.000) sin(25.4°) = (1.466) sin(theta2)
sin(theta2) = (1.000/1.466) sin(25.4°) = 0.562

Therefore, the refracted angle at the oil-to-water interface is:

n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2)
(1.466) sin(theta1) = (1.333) sin(90° - theta2)
sin(theta1) = (1.333/1.466) sin(90° - sin^-1(0.562))
sin(theta1) = 0.444
theta1 = sin^-1(0.444) = 25.4° - 17.0° = 8.4°

So the incident angle at the oil-to-water surface is 17.0°. Therefore, the answer is B.

Question 17

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 23.7° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.60,and the prism apex angle is 36.1°.What is the angle of incidence at the glass-to-air surface on the side opposite where the ray exits the prism?
A) 40.0°
B) 14.5°
C) 21.6°
D) 12.4°
E) ​26.8°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's Law and the geometry of the prism, the angle of incidence at the glass-to-air surface is calculated to be 21.6°.

Question 18

An underwater scuba diver sees the sun at an apparent angle of 41.0° from the vertical.How far is the sun above the horizon? (n_water = 1.333) A) 61.0° B) 60.5° C) 29.0° D) 29.5° E) 41.0°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's Law, we can calculate the angle of refraction in air. The angle of the sun above the horizon is 90° minus this angle.

Question 19

When light passing through a prism undergoes dispersion,the effect is a result of:
A) different wavelengths traveling at different speeds.
B) different wavelengths having different indices of refraction.
C) different wavelengths refracting differently.
D) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

The dispersion of light through a prism occurs because of all the given factors - different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds in different materials, and each wavelength has a different index of refraction, resulting in different amounts of bending when passing through a prism. Therefore, all the given choices contribute to the dispersion of light through a prism.

Question 20

An oil film floats on a water surface.The indices of refraction for water and oil,respectively,are 1.333 and 1.466.If a ray of light is incident on the air-to-oil surface at an angle of 42.3° with the normal,what is the angle of the refracted ray in the water?
A) 27.3°
B) 37.7°
C) 30.3°
D) 33.8°
E) ​42.3°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's law:
n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2
where n1 and θ1 are for air, n2 and θ2 are for oil.
sinθ2 = (n1/n2)sinθ1 = (1.333/1.466)sin42.3° = 0.8745
Now the ray moves from oil to water, so we use Snell's law again:
n2sinθ2 = n3sinθ3
where n3 and θ3 are for water.
sinθ3 = (n2/n3)sinθ2 = (1.466/1.333)(0.8745) = 0.9608
θ3 = sin⁻¹(0.9608) = 30.3°
Therefore, the angle of the refracted ray in water is 30.3°.

Quiz 22: Reflection and Refraction of Light

When white light disperses as it passes through a prism,which of the following colors moves at the lowest speed in the prism?

The lowest possible value for the index of refraction is:

A beam of light is incident upon a flat piece of glass (n = 1.50) at an angle of incidence of 56.0°.Part of the beam is transmitted and part is reflected.What is the angle between the reflected and transmitted rays?

Light in air enters a diamond (n = 2.42) at an angle of incidence of 57.0°.What is the angle of refraction inside the diamond?

Of the values listed below,which is the greatest possible value for the index of refraction?

When light from air hits a smooth piece of glass (n = 1.5) with the ray perpendicular to the glass surface,which of the following will occur?

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 22.7° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.55,and the prism apex angle is 48.0°.What is the angle of refraction as the ray enters the air on the far side of the prism?

When light from air hits a smooth piece of glass with the ray perpendicular to the glass surface,the part of the light passing into the glass:

A light ray passes from air through a thin plastic slab (n = 1.34) with parallel sides.If the ray in air makes an angle of 33° with the normal after leaving the slab,what is the angle of incidence for the ray in air as it impinges upon the other side of the slab?

A ray of white light,incident upon a glass prism,is dispersed into its various color components.Which one of the following colors experiences the greatest angle of deviation?

A certain kind of glass has n_blue = 1.650 for blue light and n_red = 1.610 for red light.If a beam of white light (containing all colors) is incident at an angle of 60°,what is the angle between the red and blue light inside the glass?

Dispersion occurs when:

Two mirrors are joined together along a common side,the planes of the mirrors separated by the angle θ.If the joined mirrors can be used as a retroreflector when a beam of light strikes both surfaces (one after the other) ,what is the value of θ?

A light beam is incident upon a still water surface.What is the maximum possible value for the angle of refraction? (n_water = 1.333) .

Three materials with n₁ < n₂ < n₃ are arranged in layers of uniform thickness.A light ray in air enters the first layer at an angle of incidence of 30° and the ray eventually exits the third layer at the refracted angle θ in air.What is the value of θ?

An oil film floats on a water surface.The indices of refraction for water and oil,respectively,are 1.333 and 1.466.If a ray of light is incident on the air-to-oil surface at an angle of 25.4° with the normal,what is the incident angle at the oil-to-water surface?

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 23.7° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.60,and the prism apex angle is 36.1°.What is the angle of incidence at the glass-to-air surface on the side opposite where the ray exits the prism?

An underwater scuba diver sees the sun at an apparent angle of 41.0° from the vertical.How far is the sun above the horizon? (n_water = 1.333)

When light passing through a prism undergoes dispersion,the effect is a result of:

An oil film floats on a water surface.The indices of refraction for water and oil,respectively,are 1.333 and 1.466.If a ray of light is incident on the air-to-oil surface at an angle of 42.3° with the normal,what is the angle of the refracted ray in the water?