6.
2 Refraction
When you look through a glass of water / wet window, you cannot see clearly.
Less clear
❖ The background, through the glass of water, appears distorted .
❖ The background appears distorted because of refraction.
The material that light passes through is called a medium.
-Light can pass through transparent objects: Air, glass and water are each examples of
a medium
❖ The change of speed can cause the light to change direction
❖ Refraction of Light - Why does a pencil look bent in water? | #aumsum
#kids #science - YouTube
❖ This video shows why does a pencil bent in water.
❖ This is what happens when a ray of light passes from air into glass or water.
❖ One side of the ray of light slows down first, causing it to change direction.
Light passing from air into water or glass
❖ This ray diagram shows what happens when light passes from air into
glass or water.
❖ The light slows down when it passes from air into glass or water. This
causes it to change direction.
❖ The light passing from air into glass
or water is bent towards the
normal.
That means the refracted ray is
closer to the normal than it would
be if the incident ray just carried on
in a straight line.
Light passing from water or glass into air
Refraction of light during the transition from water to air – experiment
(from 0:43)
❖ The video shows what happens when a ray of light passes from water or
glass into air.
❖ The light speeds up when it passes from glass or water into air.
❖ This causes it to change direction.
Light passing from
glass or water into air
is bent away from
the normal.
❖ That means the refracted ray is further away from the
normal than it would be if the incident ray just carried on in a
straight line.
❖ You will also notice from the ray diagram that when light passes
from glass or water into air the angle of refraction is
greater than the angle of incidence.
Refraction in everyday life
❖ Refraction can be annoying . It can stop
you from seeing clearly through wet
windows.
❖ Each individual drop of water on the
window refracts light in a different
direction, making it very difficult to see.
❖ This is why many vehicles have
windscreen wipers.
❖ The windscreen wipers remove the water
drops. Drops of water on glass make it difficult
to see because of refraction.
❖ It is then easier to see clearly as all the
refraction from the glass is in the same
direction.
❖ Refraction can also be useful. Lenses are used in our eyes, in cameras
and in glasses that people wear, to cause refraction of light.
❖ A lens is a curved piece of glass that is designed to refract light in a
known way.
This phone has a lens to refract Different glasses refract light in different
light for a photograph. ways to help people to see more clearly.
Questions page 200
1. Complete the sentences, using ‘faster’ or slower.
a. Light travels … in water than it does in air.
b. Light travels … in air than it does in glass.
Answer
a. Light travels slower in water than it does in air.
b. Light travels faster in air than it does in glass.
Questions
2. Complete the sentence to describe refraction correctly.
Refraction of light happens when light ……….. direction because
of a change in ………..
Answer
Refraction of light is when light changes direction because of a change
in speed. (accept medium).
Questions
3. This ray diagram shows a ray of light in air. Copy and complete the
ray diagram to show what happens when the ray of light enters the
glass. Include on your diagram:
• the normal
• the angle of incidence
• the refracted ray
• the angle of refraction.
Questions
4. This diagram shows a ray of light in water. Copy and complete the
ray diagram to show what happens when the ray of light enters the
air. Include on your diagram:
• the normal
• the angle of incidence
• the refracted ray
• the angle of refraction.
