Page 1 - Lesson note refraction of light
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SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
PHYSICS
CLASS IX
Chapter:LIGHT-REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
MODULE-26
Refraction of light
We know about light and also know that light travels in a straight line path in a
medium or two different mediums with same density.
Now a question arises what happens when light travels from one medium to
another with different densities for example from air to glass.
When light ray is made to travel from one medium to another say from air to
glass medium then light rays bend at the boundary between the two mediums.
So, the bending of light when it passes from one medium to another is
called Refraction of light.
The refraction of light takes place on going from one medium to another
because the speed of light is different in two media.
The shortest path need not be the quickest path. Since light is always in a
hurry, it bends when it enters a different medium as it is still following the
quickest path. This phenomenon of light bending in a different medium is
called refraction.
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