GCSE Physics - Refraction of waves #63

In this video we cover the following:
- What 'refraction' means
- When refraction occurs
- How to draw ray diagrams for the refraction of light
- The idea that during refraction, the wavelength of a wave stays constant, and it is the wave speed that changes

Exam board specific info:
AQA - Relevant to all courses!
IGCSE Edexcel - Relevant to all courses!
Edexcel - Separate science only. Both foundation and higher tier
OCR 21st Century - Complicated mix
OCR Gateway - Separate science only. Both foundation and higher tierr

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[SimulatingPhysics]

For the ones curious, I leave here a explanation of why refraction happens:
(It can be explained as a consequence of conservation of momentum of photons)

If in medium 1 the index of refraction is n1 and in medium 2 the index of refraction is n2 and for the definition of index of refractions and wavelength we have:
n1 = c / v1 , v1 = λ1 * f
n2 = c / v2 , v2 = λ2 * f

Dividing the above equations we obtain: n2 / n1 = λ1 /λ2
So if n2 is higher than n1, the wavelength in medium 2 is smaller than in medium 1.

Now because the photon momentum is: p = h / λ
Applying the conservation of momentum of the incident and transmitted photon along the parallel line of medium separation:

p1 = p2 → h/λ1 *sin(θ1) = h/λ2 *sin(θ2) → n1 *sin(θ1) = n2 *sin(θ2)

This is the Snell Law!!
So the refraction is just a consequence of the conservation of momentum of photons!

[aimansiddiquee]

Guys, I suggest speeding the video up which makes easier to understand the words! Excellent Video!

[wisdomwonders]

Thanks for your help.
Such a helpful video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[spookyking]

00:06 Refraction of light waves causes change in direction.
00:51 Refraction causes waves to change speed and direction when passing through different mediums.
01:24 When light passes into a more dense medium, it bends towards the normal.
02:02 Understanding refraction of light rays in glass
02:38 Refraction occurs when waves slow down and bend towards the normal in a denser medium.
03:12 Refraction occurs as light waves bend when passing from one medium to another.
03:54 Wave speed changes during refraction
04:30 Different wavelengths of light are refracted by different amounts
Crafted by Merlin AI.

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