Introduction

In part 1 of this web quest we looked at how and why refraction occurs. We looked at the theory behind the phenomena of refraction. As light moves from one medium to another the speed of the light wave changes. If the light wave is moving at an angle to the boundary between the two mediums, this change in speed causes a change in direction.

In part 2 we discovered that the relationship between angle of incidence (i), angle of refraction (R), and the indices of refraction of the two mediums (ni and nR) can be described mathematically:

ni sin i = nR sin R

This relationship is called Snell's Law.

Now we will look at why refraction is an important concept. No, really! There are actually some very important uses of refraction. Some of these applications include fibre optics, binoculars, diamond cutting and polar bear fur.