A container containing methanol has walls 5.00cm thick made of glass of refractive index 1.550. Light from the outside air strikes the glass a 25.8˚ angle with the normal to the glass. a.) Find the angle the light makes with the normal in the methanol. b.) The tank is emptied and refilled with an unknown liquid. If light incident at the same angle as in part a) enters the liquid in the tank at an angle of 15.5˚ from the normal, what is the refractive index of the unknown liquid?
Refraction of Light
Refraction is a change in the direction of light rays when they travel from one medium to another. It is the bending of light when it goes through different media.
Angle of Refraction
Light is considered by many scientists to have dual nature, both particle nature and wave nature. First, Particle nature is one in which we consider a stream of packets of energy called photons. Second, Wave nature is considering light as electromagnetic radiation whereas part of it is perceived by humans. Visible spectrum defined by humans lies in a range of 400 to 700 nm wavelengths.
Index of Refraction of Diamond
Diamond, the world’s hardest naturally occurring material and mineral known, is a solid form of the element carbon. The atoms are arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. They exist in a huge variety of colours. Also, they are one of the best conductors of heat and have a very high melting point.
A container containing methanol has walls 5.00cm thick made of glass of refractive index 1.550. Light from the outside air strikes the glass a 25.8˚ angle with the normal to the glass. a.) Find the angle the light makes with the normal in the methanol. b.) The tank is emptied and refilled with an unknown liquid. If light incident at the same angle as in part a) enters the liquid in the tank at an angle of 15.5˚ from the normal, what is the refractive index of the unknown liquid?
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