Practice Problems
Basic Refraction Properties
Directions:
On this worksheet you will examine several situations dealing with properties of light as it refracts through transparent substances.
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Question 1
A beam of light traveling in air has an angle of incidence of 42.0º when it enters a transparent medium which has an index of refraction of 1.5. What is the angle of refraction of the beam inside the medium?
26.5
60.3
63.5
29.7
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Question 2
If the wavelength of the beam of light in
Question #1
while traveling through air is 448 nm, then what is its wavelength while traveling in the transparent medium?
672 nm
299 nm
406 nm
446 nm
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Question 3
What is the frequency of the light in
Question #2
as it is traveling through the transparent medium?
6.7 x 10
12
hz
6.7 x 10
14
hz
1.49 x 10
15
hz
4.46 x 10
14
hz
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Question 4
What is the average speed of light as the beam in
Question #2
travels through the transparent medium?
4.5 x 10
7
m/sec
1.5 x 10
8
m/sec
2 x 10
8
m/sec
5 x 10
7
m/sec
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Question 5
A ray of light travels from air, medium #1, into medium #2 as shown below.
If the angle
q
1
equals 63º and
q
2
= 12º then determine the second medium's index of refraction.
4.29
2.18
1.46
1.23
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Question 6
Which diagram correctly illustrates the path a beam of light, initially traveling through air, as it enters and exits a right triangular prism having an index of 1.5?
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Question 7
If the length of the light's path inside the prism is measured to be 4.2 cm, how much time was required for the light to pass through the prism and back into the air?
2.1 x 10
-10
sec
8.4 x 10
-10
sec
4.76 x 10
-10
sec
2.8 x 10
-10
sec
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Question 8
Which of the following statements are true about a beam of light when it transitions into a medium with a lower index of refraction?
its frequency decreases
its wavelength decreases
its speed decreases
its refracted angle is less than its angle of incidence
only 1
only 4
2 and 3
none of the statements listed are true
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