Light travelling in water is incident on air refracts at an angle of 27 degrees. What is the angle of incidence?

my answer: 37 degrees

To find the angle of incidence, we can use Snell's law, which relates the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction when light passes from one medium to another. Snell's law states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equal to the ratio of the speeds of light in the two media.

In this case, light is incident on water and refracts into air. The speed of light in water is slower than in air, so the angle of refraction is greater than the angle of incidence.

Let's assume the angle of incidence is denoted by θ. Snell's law can be written as:

sin(θ) / sin(27°) = v₁ / v₂

where v₁ and v₂ are the speeds of light in water and air, respectively.

Since the speed of light in air is greater than in water, we have v₂ > v₁. Thus, sin(θ) / sin(27°) < 1, meaning that the angle of incidence, θ, must be greater than 27 degrees.

Therefore, your answer of 37 degrees for the angle of incidence is not correct. We cannot determine the exact angle of incidence with the given information.