Refraction Through Glass Slab
When light travels from one medium to another, like air to glass, it changes direction, called refraction. A glass slab, like a rectangular piece of glass, demonstrates this. When light enters the slab, it bends towards the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface). Inside, it continues in a straight line unless it exits the slab, where it bends away from the normal. This bending causes objects viewed through the slab to appear shifted. The degree of shift depends on the angle of incidence and the refractive index of the glass. This phenomenon finds applications in lenses, prisms, and optical instruments.
Learn More, Refraction of Light through Glass Slab
Refractive Index
Refractive index is a basic characteristic of material that characterizes light travelling through it. It is the speed of light in a vacuum being divided by the speed of light in the material. When a light wave moves from one medium to another with different refractive index its speed and direction are changed and this causes light refraction. Different materials have got different refractive indexes, which are as well affected by the factors including wavelength, temperature, and pressure.
The formula of refractive index is given as
n = c/v
where,
- n is refractive index of the medium
- c is speed of light
- v is velocity of light in that medium
Geometric Optics
Geometric optics is a branch of optics that focuses on the study of light as rays, without considering its wave nature. It deals with the behavior of light when it interacts with surfaces and boundaries, particularly in terms of reflection and refraction. Geometric optics is primarily concerned with the formation of images by optical elements such as lenses and mirrors and the principles governing their behavior.
In this article, we will learn in detail about geometric optics, optical instruments based on geometric optics, formulas and examples.
Table of Content
- What is Geometric Optics
- Laws of Geometric Optics
- Mirrors in Geometric Optics
- Lenses in Geometric Optics
- Ray Tracing in Geometric Optics
- Geometric Optics Formula