Physics: Refraction

Physics: Refraction
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another.

Commentary

Commentary

Refraction In physic s, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another.

Commentary

What is Refraction, and why does it matter? This concept appears everywhere in physics. Once you understand it, a wide range of natural phenomena start to make sense.

Commentary

Deep dive: Refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in spe ed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomenon, but other waves such as sound waves and water waves also experience refraction. How much a wave is refracted is determined by the change in wave speed and the initial direction of wave propagation relative to the direction of change in speed. Optical prisms and lenses use refraction to redirect light, as does the human eye. The refractive index of materials varies with the wavelength of light, and thus the angle of the refraction also varies correspondingly. This is called dispersion and allows certain prisms and raindrops in rainbows to divide white light into its constituent spectral colors.