How does light traveling through different mediums change the angle of refraction?

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/refrn/Lesson-2/The-Angle-of-Refraction

Because different mediums have different indexes of refraction. Therefore, when you use Snell's Law: (n1)(sinΘi) = (n2)(sinΘr), depending on the index of refraction of both mediums, the angle of refraction will be different.

When light travels from one medium to another, such as from air to water or from air to glass, it undergoes a phenomenon known as refraction. Refraction occurs because the speed of light changes as it moves from one medium to another, causing the light rays to bend.

The angle of refraction is determined by Snell's law, which states that the ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence (θ1) to the sine of the angle of refraction (θ2) is equal to the ratio of the velocities of light in the two media:

n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2

In this equation, n1 and n2 represent the refractive indices of the two media, which is a measure of how much the speed of light is reduced when it enters a particular medium. The refractive index is typically higher in denser media since light travels slower in these materials.

By rearranging the equation, we can see that the angle of refraction is directly proportional to the refractive index of the second medium. If the refractive index is higher, the angle of refraction will be smaller. Conversely, if the refractive index is lower, the angle of refraction will be larger. This means that for a given angle of incidence, light will bend more when transitioning into a medium with a higher refractive index.

We can thus conclude that the path of light rays changes direction when passing through different materials due to the variation in refractive indices, resulting in a change in the angle of refraction.