Rays of light get refracted while passing from air to glass becausea)density of glass is higher than that of air.b)they cannot be reflected from a glass surface.c)glass absorbs energy from the light rays.d)speed of light in glass is less than the speed of light in air.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?

Question

Answer

Speed of light in glass is less than the speed of light in air as density of glass > density of air... Option a is more correct than option d...

Answer

Refractive Index and Density

When light passes from one medium to another, its direction changes due to a property called refraction. The refraction of light occurs because the speed of light changes when it moves from one medium to another. In the case of light passing from air to glass, the rays of light get refracted.

The refractive index of a medium is a measure of how much the speed of light slows down when it passes through that medium compared to its speed in a vacuum. The refractive index of glass is higher than that of air because the speed of light in glass is less than the speed of light in air. This is due to the difference in the density of the two mediums.

Density and Refractive Index

The density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. In the case of air, the density is much lower compared to glass. The higher density of glass implies that it has more particles per unit volume compared to air.

The refractive index of a material is related to its density. The refractive index increases with an increase in density. This means that as the density of a medium increases, its refractive index also increases.

Explanation of the Correct Answer

The correct answer to the question is option 'A', which states that rays of light get refracted while passing from air to glass because the density of glass is higher than that of air.

This is because the higher density of glass compared to air leads to a higher refractive index for glass. When light passes from air to glass, its speed decreases due to the higher refractive index of glass. This change in speed causes the rays of light to bend or refract as they enter the glass.

In summary, the density of glass being higher than that of air leads to a higher refractive index for glass. This difference in refractive index causes the rays of light to change direction or get refracted when they pass from air to glass.

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