A ray of light travels from substance X to substance Y. If the refracted light follows the path labeled B in the diagram, then what can be concluded about the two substances?
Since the direction of the light does not change from the incident ray to Ray B, the index of refraction of media X and Y must be the same:
Both substances have the same index of refraction n.
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To determine what can be concluded about substances X and Y based on the path of refracted light, we need to consider the concept of refraction and Snell's Law.
Refraction is the change in direction of light as it passes from one medium (substance) to another, due to the difference in the speed of light in each medium. Snell's Law quantifies this phenomenon mathematically.
The diagram you mentioned is missing, but based on your description, let's analyze the situation. When the ray of light undergoes refraction and follows path B, we can conclude two important things:
1. The refractive indices of substances X and Y differ: Refractive index is a fundamental property of a material that measures the extent to which it slows down the speed of light. When light passes from one substance to another with a different refractive index, it changes its direction. Since the ray of light refracts at the interface of substances X and Y, we can infer that their refractive indices are different.
2. Substance Y is optically denser than substance X: The direction of refraction depends on the relative refractive indices of the two substances. According to Snell's Law, light bends towards the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the interface) when it travels from a less optically dense medium (lower refractive index) to a more optically dense medium (higher refractive index). Conversely, it bends away from the normal when going from a more optically dense to a less optically dense medium. Since the light ray refracts towards the normal, we can conclude that substance Y is optically denser than substance X.
Note: Without the diagram or additional information, we cannot determine the exact numerical values of the refractive indices or compare the specific optical densities of substances X and Y.