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Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Refraction and Snell's law worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Refraction and Snell's law

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. 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?

  2. 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?

  3. 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?

  5. In the ray diagram, which way does the ray bend as it enters the water, Jun?

    • Toward the normal
    • Along the water's surface
    • Away from the normal

  6. 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

  7. Read this first

    Refractive indices (Engineering ToolBox)

    MaterialRefractive index n
    air (0 °C)1.00029
    ice1.31
    water (20 °C)1.333
    quartz glass1.46
    Plexiglas1.49
    diamond2.417

  8. Using the table, in which material does light travel most slowly, Milo?

    • Diamond
    • Air
    • Ice

  9. Using the table, why is air's index so close to 1, Noah?

    • Light in air is nearly as fast as in a vacuum
    • Air bends light more than any other listed material
    • Air reflects most light

  10. Using the table, what does water's index of 1.333 mean, Pia?

    • Light bends 1.333° in water
    • Light is 1.333 times slower in water than in a vacuum
    • Water is 1.333 times denser than air

  11. Light passes from water into air. Which way does it bend, Tala?

    • Straight back
    • Away from the normal
    • Toward the normal

  12. A ray enters a glass block along the normal, at 0°. What happens to its direction, Zee?

    • It bends sharply toward the surface
    • It bends away from the normal
    • It keeps going straight
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11th grade Refraction and Snell's law worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Refraction and Snell's law. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can use refractive indices from a sourced table (water 1.333, Plexiglas 1.49, diamond 2.417) to find light's speed, v = c ÷ n.
  • I can use Snell's law, n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂, with angles from the normal, for light entering and leaving water, Plexiglas and diamond.
  • I can predict the bending: toward the normal entering a higher index, away from it leaving one, and none along the normal.
  • I can find critical angles, sin θc = 1 ÷ n, and explain total internal reflection in optical fibers and diamonds. I can also explain everyday refraction: a bent-looking straw, a raised-looking coin and a prism's colors.

Standard: none (TX, FL)

Words to know

refraction: Light bending as it crosses into a material where its speed changes

refractive index (n): How many times slower light is in a material: n = c ÷ v

Snell's law: n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂

critical angle: The angle beyond which light reflects totally inside a material

total internal reflection: All light reflecting back inside at a boundary

Common mistakes

Your child multiplied by the index. Light slows in a material: v = c ÷ n.

Your child divided the angle by the index. Snell's law works with sines: sin θ₂ = sin θ₁ ÷ n₂ for light from air.

Your child measured the critical angle from the surface. Like every angle in Snell's law, it is measured from the normal.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with refraction and snell's law?

Your child multiplied by the index. Light slows in a material: v = c ÷ n.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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