Question 1

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 44.3° with the normal,what is the angle of the refracted ray in the water?
A)28.5°
B)39.4°
C)31.6°
D)35.3°
E)44.3°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's law, we have

n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2,

where n1 and n2 are the indices of refraction of the media, and θ1 and θ2 are the angles of incidence and refraction, respectively, measured from the normal.

For the air-to-oil interface, we have

n1 = 1 (air)
n2 = 1.466 (oil)
θ1 = 44.3°

Solving for θ2, we get

sin θ2 = (n1/n2) sin θ1 = (1/1.466) sin 44.3° = 0.505

Since θ2 is the angle measured from the normal within the water, we have

sin θ2 = sin(90° - θ2water)

where θ2water is the angle of refraction within the water.

Therefore,

sin θ2water = sin(90° - θ2) = cos θ2 = √(1 - sin^2 θ2) = 0.862

Taking the inverse sine, we get

θ2water = 31.6°.

Therefore, the answer is C.

Question 2

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 41.9° with the normal,what is the incident angle at the oil-to-water surface?
A)30.1°
B)27.1°
C)37.4°
D)41.9°
E)33.5°

Accepted Answer

The answer of An oil film floats on a water...

Question 3

Three flat layers of transparent material are stacked upon one another.The top layer has index of refraction n₁,the middle has n₂ and the bottom one has n₃.If n₁ < n₂ < n₃,at what angle of incidence will a ray of light traverse the three layers in a single straight line? A)θ_i = sin^-1(1/n₁) B)θ_i = sin^-1(1/(n₁+n₂+n₃) C)θ_i = tan^-1(1/(n₁+n₂+n₃) D)There is such an angle,but it is not given.

Accepted Answer

There is such an angle, but it cannot be determined from the given information. The angle of incidence at which a ray of light will traverse the three layers in a single straight line depends not only on the indices of refraction of the three layers but also on the angles at which the light enters and exits each layer. Without this additional information, the angle of incidence cannot be calculated.

Question 4

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 5

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 24.0° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.55,and the prism apex angle is 44.3°.What is the angle of refraction as the ray enters the air on the far side of the prism?
A)0.853°
B)48.9°
C)18.3°
D)11.7°
E)29.1°

Accepted Answer

We can use Snell's law to solve this problem:

n1*sin(θ1) = n2*sin(θ2)

where n1 and θ1 are the refractive index and angle of incidence in the glass prism, n2 and θ2 are the refractive index and angle of refraction in the air.

First, we need to find the angle of incidence in the prism.

θ1 = 90° - 44.3°/2 - 24.0° = 31.8°

Next, we can use Snell's law to find the angle of refraction in the air:

1.55*sin(31.8°) = sin(θ2)

θ2 = sin^-1(1.55*sin(31.8°)) = 48.9°

Therefore, the angle of refraction as the ray enters the air on the far side of the prism is 48.9°.

The correct answer is B.

Question 6

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 7

A fish is 1.2 m beneath the surface of a still pond of water.At what maximum angle can the fish look toward the surface (measured with respect to the normal to the surface)in order to see a fisherman sitting on a distant bank? (for water,n = 1.333)
A)18.6°
B)37.2°
C)48.6°
D)The fish will not see the fisherman at any angle.

Accepted Answer

The maximum angle is determined by the critical angle for total internal reflection, which can be calculated using Snell's Law. The critical angle is approximately 48.6° for water with a refractive index of 1.333.

Question 8

A beam of monochromatic light goes from material 1 with index of refraction n₁ into material 2 with index of refraction n₂.The frequency of light in material 1 is f₁ and in material 2 is f₂.What is the ratio of f₁/f₂? A)n₁/n₂ B)n₂/n₁ C)1 D)The values of n₁ and n₂ must be known to find the answer.

Accepted Answer

The frequency of light does not change when it moves from one medium to another; it remains constant. Therefore, the ratio of frequencies $f_{1}/f_{2}$ is 1.

Question 9

A light ray passes from air through a thin plastic slab (n = 1.77)with parallel sides.If the ray in air makes an angle of 49° 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)25°
B)49°
C)14°
D)28°
E)​87°

Accepted Answer

The angle of incidence in air equals the angle of emergence due to the parallel sides of the slab and the principle of reversibility of light.

Question 10

An underwater scuba diver sees the Sun at an apparent angle of 39.6° from the vertical.How far is the Sun above the horizon? (n_water = 1.333) A)58.2° B)61.4° C)31.8° D)28.6° E)39.6°

Accepted Answer

The answer of An underwater scuba diver sees the Sun...

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

The index of refraction is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to the speed of light in a medium. Since the speed of light in any medium cannot exceed the speed of light in vacuum (which is 1), the lowest possible value for the index of refraction is 1, which occurs in vacuum or air. Therefore, Option B is the correct answer.

Question 12

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 13

Three flat layers of transparent material are stacked upon one another.The top layer has index of refraction n₁,the middle has n₂ and the bottom one has n₃.If n₁ > n₂ > n₃,and if a ray of light strikes the top layer at an angle of incidence θ_i = 30º,in which layer is the angle of refraction the greatest? A)the top layer B)the middle layer C)the bottom layer D)Once the ray enters the touching layers,the angle of refraction remains constant.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Three flat layers of transparent material are...

Question 14

Light in air enters a diamond (n = 2.42)at an angle of incidence of 30.0°.What is the angle of refraction inside the diamond?
A)11.9°
B)4.90°
C)0.208°
D)24.1°
E)30.0°

Accepted Answer

The angle of refraction inside the diamond can be calculated using Snell's Law, which is n1*sin(theta1) = n2*sin(theta2), where n1 and n2 are the refractive indices of air and diamond respectively, and theta1 and theta2 are the angles of incidence and refraction. Given n1 (air) = 1 (approx.), n2 (diamond) = 2.42, and theta1 = 30°, solving for theta2 gives an angle of refraction of approximately 11.9°.

Question 15

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 16

A beam of light is incident upon a flat piece of glass (n = 1.50)at an angle of incidence of 37.2°.Part of the beam is transmitted and part is reflected.What is the angle between the reflected and transmitted rays?
A)23.8°
B)103°
C)119°
D)61.0°
E)127°

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

What is the cause of refraction of a wave traveling from one medium to another?
A)There is a frequency change due to the change in the medium
B)There is a speed change due to the change in the medium.
C)There is a change in wave amplitude due to the change in the medium.
D)None of the above are associated with refraction.

Accepted Answer

Refraction occurs because the speed of the wave changes as it passes from one medium to another with a different refractive index. This change in speed causes the wave to bend or change direction, causing refraction. Frequency and amplitude changes do not cause refraction.

Question 18

A ray of light is incident on a liquid-to-glass interface at an angle of 34.1°.Indices of refraction for the liquid and glass are,respectively,1.93 and 1.64.What is the angle of refraction for the ray moving through the glass?
A)23.9°
B)28.5°
C)41.3°
D)29.0°
E)40.6°

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 23.4° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.60,and the prism apex angle is 51.8°.What is the angle of incidence at the glass-to-air surface on the side opposite where the ray exits the prism?
A)39.5°
B)14.4°
C)37.4°
D)28.4°
E)42.7°

Accepted Answer

Using Snell's law, we can find the angle of refraction of the ray inside the prism:

sin(23.4°)/1.60 = sin(r)/sin(51.8°)
sin(r) = sin(51.8°)*(sin(23.4°)/1.60) = 0.416
r = arcsin(0.416) = 24.6°

Now, using the law of reflection, we know that the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are equal:

i = r = 24.6°

Finally, using Snell's law again, we can find the angle of refraction of the ray as it exits the prism:

sin(i)/1.60 = sin(t)/sin(51.8°)
sin(t) = sin(51.8°)*(sin(i)/1.60) = 0.578
t = arcsin(0.578) = 37.4°

Therefore, the answer is (C).

Question 20

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

A retroreflector works by reflecting light back to its source, regardless of the angle of incidence. This can be achieved by aligning the reflected beam with the incoming beam. When two mirrors are joined along a common side, the angle between them is 90°. Therefore, a beam of light entering the retroreflector at any angle will be reflected back along the same path due to the 90° angle between the planes of the mirrors. Hence, the value of θ should be 90°.

Quiz 22: Reflection and Refraction of Light

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 44.3° with the normal,what is the angle of the refracted ray in the water?

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 41.9° with the normal,what is the incident angle at the oil-to-water surface?

Three flat layers of transparent material are stacked upon one another.The top layer has index of refraction n₁,the middle has n₂ and the bottom one has n₃.If n₁ < n₂ < n₃,at what angle of incidence will a ray of light traverse the three layers in a single straight line?

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 ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 24.0° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.55,and the prism apex angle is 44.3°.What is the angle of refraction as the ray enters the air on the far side of the prism?

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 fish is 1.2 m beneath the surface of a still pond of water.At what maximum angle can the fish look toward the surface (measured with respect to the normal to the surface) in order to see a fisherman sitting on a distant bank? (for water,n = 1.333)

A beam of monochromatic light goes from material 1 with index of refraction n₁ into material 2 with index of refraction n₂.The frequency of light in material 1 is f₁ and in material 2 is f₂.What is the ratio of f₁/f₂?

A light ray passes from air through a thin plastic slab (n = 1.77) with parallel sides.If the ray in air makes an angle of 49° 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?

An underwater scuba diver sees the Sun at an apparent angle of 39.6° from the vertical.How far is the Sun above the horizon? (n_water = 1.333)

The lowest possible value for the index of refraction is:

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?

Light in air enters a diamond (n = 2.42) at an angle of incidence of 30.0°.What is the angle of refraction inside the diamond?

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 beam of light is incident upon a flat piece of glass (n = 1.50) at an angle of incidence of 37.2°.Part of the beam is transmitted and part is reflected.What is the angle between the reflected and transmitted rays?

What is the cause of refraction of a wave traveling from one medium to another?

A ray of light is incident on a liquid-to-glass interface at an angle of 34.1°.Indices of refraction for the liquid and glass are,respectively,1.93 and 1.64.What is the angle of refraction for the ray moving through the glass?

A ray of light is incident on the mid-point of a glass prism surface at an angle of 23.4° with the normal.For the glass,n = 1.60,and the prism apex angle is 51.8°.What is the angle of incidence at the glass-to-air surface on the side opposite where the ray exits the prism?

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?