A ray of light passes from air into a glass block at an angle. What happens to the ray?
AIt speeds up and bends towards the normal
BIt slows and bends towards the normal
CIt slows and bends away from the normal
DIt speeds up and bends away from normal
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It slows and bends towards the normal
1. Light travels at different speeds in different materials.
2. Glass is denser than air, so light moves more slowly inside the glass.
3. When light slows down on entering at an angle, it bends towards the normal line.
4. This bending is called refraction.
5. Speeding up happens the other way round, when light leaves glass for air.
6. Bending away from the normal also belongs to that opposite journey.
_Source: Siyavula Natural Sciences Grade 8 (CC BY 4.0), Refraction of light_
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