Geometric Optics: REFRACTION Multiple Choice Concept Questions

1) Light travels fastest

A) in a vacuum B) through water
C) through glass D) through diamond

2) For all transparent material substances, the index of refraction
A) is less than 1 B) is greater than 1 C) is equal to 1
D) could be any of the given answers; it all depends on optical density

3) An index of refraction less than one for a medium would imply
A) that the speed of light in the medium is the same as the speed of light in vacuum
B) that the speed of light in the medium is greater than the speed of light in vacuum
C) refraction is not possible
D) reflection is not possible

4) When certain light rays pass from a vacuum into a block of an unknown material, the
measured index of refraction of the material is 3.50. What is the speed of light inside the
block?
A) 1.0 x 10
7
m/s B) 8.6 x 10
7
m/s C) 2.9 x 10
8
m/s
D) 4.8 x 10
7
m/s E) 1.9 x 10
8
m/s

5) What is the frequency of light that has a wavelength in water of 6.00 10
2
nm if the
refractive index for this light is 1.33?
A) 3.76 x 10
14
Hz B) 6.65 x 10
14
Hz C) 9.52 x 10
14
Hz
D) 5.00 x 10
14
Hz E) 7.25 x 10
14
Hz

6) Blue light with a wavelength of 425 nm passes from a vacuum into a glass lens; and the
index of refraction is found to be 1.65. The glass lens is replaced with a plastic lens.
The index of refraction for the plastic lens is 1.54. In which one of the two lenses does
the light have the greatest speed and what is that speed?
A) glass, 2.28 10
8
m/s B) plastic, 2.13 10
8
m/s
C) glass, 1.82 10
8
m/s D) plastic, 1.95 10
8
m/s
E) The speed of the blue light is the same in the vacuum and both lenses; and it is 3.00 10
8
m/s.

7) Light enters air from water. The angle of refraction will be
A) greater than the angle of incidence B) equal to the angle of incidence
C) less than the angle of incidence

8) A ray of light, which is traveling in air, is incident on a glass plate at a 45 angle. The angle
of refraction in the glass
A) is less than 45 B) is greater than 45
C) is equal to 45
D) could be any of the above; it all depends on the index of refraction of glass.

9) Light traveling at an angle into a denser medium is refracted
A) toward the normal B) away from the normal
C) parallel to the normal D) equally

10) The angle of incidence
A) must equal the angle of refraction.
B) is always less than the angle of refraction.
C) is always greater than the angle of refraction.
D) may be greater than, less than, or equal to the angle of refraction.

11) Light enters air from water. The angle of refraction will be
A) greater than the angle of incidence. B) equal to the angle of incidence.
C) less than the angle of incidence.

12) A ray of light, which is traveling in air, is incident on a glass plate at a 45 angle. The angle
of refraction in the glass
A) is less than 45. B) is greater than 45. C) is equal to 45.
D) could be any of the above; it all depends on the index of refraction of glass.

13) A monochromatic (single frequency, single wavelength) light ray in air (n =1) enters a glass
prism (n =1.5). In the glass prism
A) both the frequency and the wavelength are the same as in air
B) the frequency is the same, but the wavelength is greater than in air.
C) the frequency is the same, but the wavelength is smaller than in air.
D) the wavelength is the same, but the frequency is greater than in air.
E) the wavelength is the same, but the frequency is smaller than in air.
14) The speed of light changes when it goes from ethyl alcohol (n =1.361) to carbon
tetrachloride (n =1.461). The ratio of the speed in carbon tetrachloride to the speed in ethyl
alcohol, v
2
/v
1
, is
A) 1.99 B) 1.07 C) 0.93 D) 0.51 E) 0.76

15) The speed of light in material A is 1.25 times as large as it is in material B. What is the
ratio of the refractive indices, n
A
/n
B
, of these materials?
A) 1.50 B) 1.00 C) 0.800 D) 1.25 E) 0.90

16) An aquarium contains a 5-cm layer of water (n =1.333) floating on top of carbon
tetrachloride (n =1.461). If the angle of incidence into the water from the carbon
tetrachloride is 20, what is the angle of refraction into the air?
A) 20 B) 30 C) 38 D) 69 E) 26

17) The principle on which fiber optics is based is
A) refraction B) polarization
C) dispersion. D) total internal reflection

18) The critical angle for a beam of light passing from water into air is 48.8. This means that all
light rays with an angle of incidence greater than this angle will be
A) absorbed B) totally reflected
C) partially reflected and partially transmitted D) totally transmitted