PhysicsLAB: Refraction Phenomena Reading Questions

Here are the lessons on which these questions are based: Refraction Phenomena and Dispersion.

1. When viewing objects underwater, refraction causes the object to appear _____ to the surface than it really is.

2. When viewed from straight above, how deep would a penny appear to be in a glass that has 15 centimeters of water?

3. What causes a mirage?

4. What is the name of the angle at which total internal reflection first occurs when light is trying to escape from a more dense medium into a less dense medium?

5. In the prism diagram shown, which rays (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) are totally internally reflected?

6. What is meant by the term dispersion?

7. According to the table of refractive index vs wavelength, a prism made out of which type of material would disperse light the most: flint glass, quartz, crown glass, or fused quartz?

8. What principles are involved in the creation of a rainbow?