Laws related to refraction of light — lesson. Science CBSE, Class 10.

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In this section, we will discuss the laws related to the refraction of light.

When a light ray travels obliquely from one transparent medium to another, it deviates from its original path.

Refraction is the term for the deviation of a light ray. The variation in the velocity of light in different media causes refraction.

In a low denser medium, light travels faster, while in a denser medium, it travels slower.

Two refraction laws govern the refraction of light.

The first law of refraction:

The incident ray, refracted ray of light, and the normal to the interface of two transparent surfaces (media) at the point of incidence all lie on the same plane.

The second law of refraction:

This law states that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence and sine of the angle of refraction is equal to the reciprocal of the ratio of refractive indices of the two transparent media. This law is also known as Snell’s law.

Snell's law

From the above figure,

\(\frac{\sin \Theta_{1}}{\sin \Theta_{2}} = \frac{n_{2}}{n_{1}}\)

Where,

\(\Theta_{1}\) \(-\) \(Angle\ of\ incidence\)

\(\Theta_{2}\) \(-\) \(Angle\ of\ refraction\)

\({n_{1}}\ and\ {n_{2}}\) \(-\) \(Refractive\ index\ of\ the\ medium\ 1\ and\ 2\)

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10. Laws related to refraction of light

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