Refraction and Snell's law
Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Light travels at 299,792.458 km/s in a vacuum. Water has a refractive index of 1.333. How fast does light travel in it, to the nearest km/s, Ari?
Light travels at 299,792.458 km/s in a vacuum. Plexiglas has a refractive index of 1.49. How fast does light travel in it, to the nearest km/s, Bo?
Light travels at 299,792.458 km/s in a vacuum. Diamond has a refractive index of 2.417. How fast does light travel in it, to the nearest km/s, Esme?
In the ray diagram, which way does the ray bend as it enters the water, Jun?
- Away from the normal
- Toward the normal
- Along the water's surface
In the ray diagram, why does the ray bend as it enters the water, Kira?
Use the picture in question 4.
- Light travels faster in water than in air
- Light travels more slowly in water
- Water pulls the light down
In the ray diagram, at what angle to the normal does the weaker reflected ray leave, Luz?
Use the picture in question 4.
- 28.8°
- 50°
- 40°
Read this first
Refractive indices (Engineering ToolBox)
Material Refractive index n air (0 °C) 1.00029 ice 1.31 water (20 °C) 1.333 quartz glass 1.46 Plexiglas 1.49 diamond 2.417 Using the table, in which material does light travel most slowly, Milo?
- Ice
- Air
- Diamond
Using the table, why is air's index so close to 1, Noah?
- Air reflects most light
- Air bends light more than any other listed material
- Light in air is nearly as fast as in a vacuum
Using the table, what does water's index of 1.333 mean, Pia?
- Light is 1.333 times slower in water than in a vacuum
- Light bends 1.333° in water
- Water is 1.333 times denser than air
Light passes from air into Plexiglas. Which way does it bend, Ren?
- Toward the normal
- It doesn't bend
- Away from the normal