Professional Documents
Culture Documents
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1230
Refraction
Ever notice how your leg looks bent
as you dangle them in the water
from the edge of a pool? Why do
fish seem to radically change
position as we look at them from
different viewpoints in an
aquarium? What makes diamonds
sparkle so much?
These are all questions that can be addressed with the concept of
refraction. Refraction is the bending of light when it goes from one
transparent medium to another (e.g. air-to-glass or air-to-water). This
meeting place of two different media is called the interface between the
media. All refraction of light (and reflection) occurs at an interface.
Examples of Refraction
Demonstrations
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/
speedoflight/index.html
Index of Refraction of
Selected Materials
Vacuum
1.00000000000..
Air
1.0003
Water
1.333
Glass
Diamond 2.4
http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/rdg/refraction/refraction.shtml
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/
speedoflight/index.html
http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/rdg/refraction/refraction.shtml
Law of Refraction
Light going from a substance of small n to a substance of large n
is bent TOWARD the normal
Light going from a substance of large n to a substance of small n
is bent AWAY from the normal
Normal
Glass or
water
(slow)
Normal
Diagram works in
either direction
Glass or
water
(slow)
Law of Refraction
Light going from a substance of small n to a substance of large n
is bent TOWARD the normal
Light going from a substance of large n to a substance of small n
is bent AWAY from the normal
incident
rays
glass or water
(large n)
air
(small n)
refracted
rays
Diagram works in
either direction
normal
ni sini = nt sint
transmitted
ray
incident
ray
fish
Material
Index
Vacuum
1.00..
Air
1.0003
Water
1.333
Glass
Diamond
2.4
normal to surface
ray
Air
APPLET ON REFRACTION
Applet on Refraction
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/
scienceopticsu/refraction/
refractionangles/index.html
Normal
Glass or
water
(slow)
Normal
Glass or
water
(slow)
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/
refraction/criticalangle/index.html
http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/rdg/refraction/refraction2.shtml
http://www.tradeshop.com/master/ideal.shtml
MIRAGES
MIRAGES
Mirages are formed when a layer of hot air forms close to the ground
This hot air is less dense than the cold air above it - and therefore has
a lower index of refraction (e.g. 1.0002 versus 1.0003)
Light refracts gradually as it enters the hot, less dense layer,
continually bending away from the normal
This gives rise to mirages (e.g. water on hot road or in desert)
Concept Question
Why does the road appear wet in the mirage?
A. Road is wet
B. Road surface has melted in the heat
C. Rays from sky refract and make image of sky
D. Rays from sky reflect and refract from wet road
Atmospheric Refraction
Decreasing density of the atmosphere with height causes
refraction of light from the Sun and the Moon, delaying the
sunset and flattening the heavenly disks. The effect is similar
to that of a mirage but with the less dense air now above.
COMMON MIRAGES
Peary could clearly see the mountain tops of "Crocker Land" across the polar ice
pack, but it was only an Arctic Mirage. (Copyright Lee Krystek, 1998)
http://www.unmuseum.mus.pa.us/mirage.htm
MORE MIRAGES
On June 23, 1744, a phantom army appeared floating above a mountain in
Scotland. Twenty seven people, who later gave sworn testimony to what
they'd seen, watched the strange vision for two hours till it ended with
darkness. In the summer of 1897 in Alaska, an expedition to the wilderness
near Mount St. Elias saw a "Silent City" over a glacier. A member of the
expedition, C. W. Thornton, wrote, "It required no effort of the imagination
to liken it to a city, but was so distinct that it required, instead, faith to
believe that it was not in reality a city." Another witness reported, "We could
plainly see houses, well-defined streets, and trees. Here and there rose tall
spires over huge buildings..."
The above incidents are examples of a startling optical atmospheric effect
known as a mirage. Though we associate mirages with the illusion of distant
water in a desert, the phantom oasis is actually just the simplest example of
this bizarre effect.
http://www.unmuseum.mus.pa.us/mirage.htm
http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/Antarctica/views.html
MIRAGES AT SEA
When the effect appears above the water, it is often referred to as a Fata Morgana. The
phrase comes from the Italian version of the name of the sorceress Morgan Le Fay from
the legends of King Arthur and Camelot. In ancient times these strange effects were
considered the work of witchcraft. The schooner Effie M. Morrissey was sailing the
North Atlantic on July 17, 1939 when a Fata Morgana appeared. Though the coast of
Iceland was some 320 miles away, Captain Bartlett indicated that it appeared as if it was
only twenty five miles away. "The contours of the land and the snow-covered summit of
the Snaefells Jokull showed up almost unbelievably near." Fata Morganas may also be the
cause of legends about phantom ships that sail the sky. Reports of the ghost ship Flying
Dutchman may well have been the reflection of some distant vessel.
Scientists believe Fata Morganas are most likely to form when the sea is much colder than
the atmosphere. As the water cools the air directly above it, a boundary layer forms.
These types of mirages are most likely to show up after dawn, before dusk or as a storm
is building up. They also tend to favor particular locations. The Straits of Messina,
between Sicily and the Italian mainland, are famous for its Fata Morganas.
When several boundaries of air are involved, a mirage can become even more complex as
the light is reflected and refracted multiple times. This can make natural objects, like
cliffs, appear as city buildings, or castles. This is probably the best explanation for the
Alaskan City mirage, though some contend that it was actually a magnification of the
English city of Bristol some 2,500 miles away.
http://www.unmuseum.mus.pa.us/mirage.htm
MIRAGES AT SEA
http://www.unmuseum.mus.pa.us/mirage.htm
Dispersion occurs
here during refraction
Reflections
white light
comes in
Raindrop
Dispersion occurs
here during refraction
A spectrum of
colors comes out