Exciting Refraction Problem Solving!

What is the exciting refraction problem we are going to solve?

A ray of light travelling inside a rectangular glass block of refractive index root 2 is incident on the glass at surface at an angle of incidence 45°. The refractive index of air is...

Answer:

The refractive index of air is approximately 1.00.

Let's dive into the exciting world of refraction problem solving! In this scenario, we are dealing with a ray of light traveling inside a rectangular glass block with a refractive index of √2. The ray of light is incident on the glass at an angle of incidence of 45°. Our mission is to determine the refractive index of air.

To crack this problem, we will apply Snell's law, which relates the angles and refractive indices of two media involved in the refraction process. Snell's law is expressed as n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2, where n1 and θ1 are the refractive index and angle of incidence of the first medium, and n2 and θ2 are the refractive index and angle of refraction of the second medium, respectively.

In our case, the refractive index of the glass block (first medium) is √2, and the angle of incidence is 45°. By substituting these values into Snell's law, we can calculate the refractive index of air (second medium).

After our calculation, we have found that the refractive index of air is approximately 1.00. This result brings us one step closer to mastering the art of solving refraction problems! Now, we can continue our journey of exploration and learning in the fascinating realm of optics.