When light rays enter a medium with a different refractive index they
- split in two.
- stay aligned.
- change speed.
Explanation
When light passes into a medium of different refractive index its speed changes, and this change of speed is what causes the ray to bend (refract) at the boundary. The light does not split in two at a simple boundary, and it generally does not stay on its original straight path.
Richiegeee asking:
Will it not change direction too?
Community Comments (3)
D
dimky Posts: 514 03.06.2015 / 23:03
They will only change direction if they hit the surface at an angle other than 0 degrees, so not always. But it will always change speed however.
J
JD2016 Posts: 54 30.10.2016 / 22:45
Speed of light is a universal constant - it never changes!
J
JD2016 Posts: 54 01.11.2016 / 19:40
I have to correct myself! The speed of light IN A VACUUM is a universal constant and doesn't change but it does change speed in different media. So the correct answer is it changes direction due to the change in speed and the light ray is bent towrds the normal when travelling from air into a denser medium.
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