Snell's Law Problem Solving Examples

Three examples of solving problems involving refraction and Snell's Law

0:00 - Problem 1
2:55 - Problem 2
6:55 - Problem 3

Problem 1 - The index of refraction of crown glass for red light is 1.514, while for blue light it is 1.528. White light is incident on the glass at 30°. Find the angle of refraction for red light and blue light.

Problem 2 - A light source, S, is located 2.2 m below the surface of a swimming pool and 1.1 m from one edge of the pool. The pool is filled to the top with water, whose index of refraction is 1.33. At what angle (to the vertical) does the light reaching the edge of the pool leave the water? Does this cause the light viewed from this angle to appear deeper or shallower than it actually is?

Problem 3 - A diver shines a light up to the surface of a flat glass-bottomed boat at an angle of 30° relative to the normal. If the indices of refraction of air, water, and glass are 1.0, 1.33, and 1.5 respectively, at what angle does the light leave the glass (relative to its normal)?