Refraction

When light passes from one medium to another it changes speed. If it enters the new medium at an angle, the change in speed causes the light rays to bend. This change of direction is called refraction. Light slows down if the new medium has a higher index of refraction than the old medium. Light speeds up if the new medium has a lower index of refraction.

In this activity, you will explore light refraction. To begin, read Refraction. Then print this page and use what you've learned about refraction to answer the questions about the diagram below.

1. When does refraction occur?
   
   

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2. In which medium does light travel the fastest in the illustration above?
   
   

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3. In which medium does light travel the slowest in the illustration above?
   
   

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4. Describe how the path of the light ray changes as it refracts in the diagram above?
   
   

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When you are finished, check your answers.

Further Exploration

Read Creating the Invisible Man on How Stuff Works to learn about a new technology that uses refraction to see through skin! Then use the Web to find recent updates about this research. Write a news report about this research to present the new findings to your classmates.