Refraction of Light

Topic Objectives

By the end of this topic, the learner should be able to:

• Describe simple experiments to illustrate refraction of light;
• State the laws of refraction of light;
• Verify Snell’s law;
• Define refractive index;
• Determine experimentally the refractive index;
• Describe experiments to illustrate dispersion of white light;
• Explain total internal reflection and its effects;
• State the applications of total internal reflection;
• Solve numerical problems involving refractive index and critical angle.