Refraction

Bcrowell and Fir0002

The pictures you see above are observations of refraction. Notice how the straw looks in the glass
of liquid.  The straw looks broken at the point where it enters the water. Why does this occur?

In the picture on the right, you see a beam of light entering an plastic block. Notice that the light beam
changes direction when it enters the block instead of maintaining its direction. Why does this occur?

 

John Roland Hans Penner

In this image, you see a beam of white light entering a prism. Notice that the prism breaks the light up
into its individual color components. How does this occur?

In this topic, you will learn what refraction is and what causes it. First, look at some of the characteristics of light as listed below:

Opaque – light cannot pass through

Translucent – Some light passes through

Transparent – all light passes through

Light - can only be refracted through translucent or transparent media.

Reflection and Refraction

Click each tab to learn how light reflects and refracts. Click the player to begin.

View a printable version of this interactivity.

Refraction Practice

Learn how to use the equations you have learned in this topic to solve the problems in this presentation. Please try each problem prior to checking your answers. Click the player to get started.