Question:easy

A light ray travels obliquely from a denser medium to a rarer medium. It will bend:

Show Hint

Remember the memory acronyms:
- D to R: Denser to Rarer \(\to\) Away from normal (DRA).
- R to D: Rarer to Denser \(\to\) Towards normal (RDT).
  • Towards the normal
  • Away from the normal
  • Along the normal
  • It will not bend
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Write Snell's law for the two media.
\[ n_1 \sin\theta_1 = n_2 \sin\theta_2 \] with medium 1 denser, so \(n_1 > n_2\).
Step 2: Rearrange to compare the angles.
\[ \sin\theta_2 = \frac{n_1}{n_2}\sin\theta_1 \] and since \(n_1/n_2 > 1\), it follows that \(\sin\theta_2 > \sin\theta_1\), which means \(\theta_2 > \theta_1\).
Step 3: Translate the angle comparison into bending direction.
The refracted ray makes a bigger angle with the normal than the incident ray did, so as the light leaves the denser medium and enters the rarer one it swings farther from the normal line, not closer to it.
\[ \boxed{\text{Bends away from the normal}} \]
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