The angle of refraction is defined as which of the following?

The angle of refraction is defined as which of the following?

• A. The speed of light in the incident medium
• B. The degree to which the light wave is bent by the medium
• C. The wavelength of light in vacuum
• D. The intensity of transmitted light

Answer: (B)

The angle of refraction is the angle between the refracted light ray and the normal to the boundary inside the second medium, representing how much the light is bent as it enters that medium. This bending depends on the refractive indices of the two media, described by Snell’s law. It is not the speed of light in the incident medium, nor the wavelength in vacuum, nor the light’s intensity—the angle of refraction specifically measures the change in direction of the ray after crossing the boundary.

The angle of refraction is the angle between the refracted light ray and the normal to the boundary inside the second medium, representing how much the light is bent as it enters that medium. This bending depends on the refractive indices of the two media, described by Snell’s law. It is not the speed of light in the incident medium, nor the wavelength in vacuum, nor the light’s intensity—the angle of refraction specifically measures the change in direction of the ray after crossing the boundary.