Question

Study the figure in which the path of a ray of light going from Medium 1 to Medium 2 is shown.

1. Out of the two Media - Medium 1 and Medium 2, in which is the speed of light more?
2. State reason of bending of the refracted ray away from the normal.
3. Express refractive index of Medium 2 with respect to Medium 1 in terms of speed of light in two media.

Answer 1

1. Speed of light is more in Medium 2.
2. The ray bends away from the normal because it is traveling from an optically denser medium (Medium 1) to an optically rarer medium (Medium 2). This change in optical density causes the speed of light to increase, resulting in its bending away from the normal.
3. ₁μ₂ = `"Speed of light in medium 1"/"Speed of light in medium 2" = V_1/V_2`