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Waves (Refraction is the change of a direction when a wave passes through…
Waves
Refraction is the change of a direction when a wave passes through two mediums. How much a wave is refracted is depended on the speed of the wave and the initial direction. If it reaches the interface between the materials at an angle one side of the wave will reach the second material first, and therefore slow down earlier. With one side of the wave going slower the whole wave will pivot towards that side.
We know that light refracts when it goes from one medium to another but why? Light travels at 300,000 km a second, however in glass it travels 40% slower meaning glass has refractive index of 1.4. Why do photons move slower in a denser material?
The real answer is that photons follow every single possible path and then are distributed out the other end. When all the interferences with the atoms are added together they combine to the final wave on the far side. This process of following paths and combining wave takes longer and refracts the light. This is an example of superposition.
Refractive index Different materials have different refractive indexes. The amount light refracts is depended on the refractive index.
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Extra Vocab
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Amplitude = the maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium.
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What is frequency, velocity and lambda?
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