Refraction
Refraction explained by Newton:
- particles of light experience a force as they pass from air into a transparent material
- this force occur at the surface, act perpendicularly to the surface, directed into the material
- this force would cause the particles to bend towards the normal
- predicts a good relationship between the angle of refraction and incidence
Refraction explained by waves:
- frequency the same in the two materials
- speed of waves different in the two materials
- the wave-length changes
- relation between the angle of incidence
- we have that the index of refraction of a material
- if speed of light in vacuum is c, and nv=1
(u is the speed of light in the given material)