everyday science MCQ #50019

Snell's law relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the refractive indices. If light passes from medium 1 (n=1.0) to medium 2 (n=1.5) at 30° incidence, the refracted angle is approximately:

everyday science MCQ #50019

  1. Question 1

    Q1. Snell's law relates the angles of incidence and refraction to the refractive indices. If light passes from medium 1 (n=1.0) to medium 2 (n=1.5) at 30° incidence, the refracted angle is approximately:

    • A) 45°
    • B) 30°
    • C) 19.47°
    • D) 25°

    Answer: 19.47°

    Explanation: Applying Snell's law: n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂ gives 1.0 × sin 30° = 1.5 × sin θ₂, so sin θ₂ = 0.5/1.5 ≈ 0.333 and θ₂ ≈ 19.47°. Light bends toward the normal when entering a denser medium.