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Waves, Light and Sound
Quick questions on Reflection and refraction of light explained: O-Level Physics
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the law of reflection?Show answer
When light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal (the line perpendicular to the surface):
What is refraction?Show answer
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one material to another, caused by a change in its speed. Going into a denser material (such as air to glass), light slows down and bends toward the normal. Going into a less dense material, it speeds up and bends away from the normal.
What is q1?Show answer
State the law of reflection. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Light passes from air into a material at and refracts to . Calculate the refractive index. [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
State the two conditions needed for total internal reflection. [2 marks]
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