Physics › Section R · Electromagnetic waves and geometric optics › Topic R.4
Refraction and total internal reflection
A straw looks broken where it enters a glass of water, and a pool always looks shallower than it is. Both happen because light changes speed, and so direction, as it crosses from one material into another, and the same physics lets glass fibres carry the internet and makes diamonds sparkle.
In this topic
- Light changes direction at a boundary
- The index of refraction
- Worked example: light inside glass
- Which way does light bend?
- Snell's law
- Worked example: from air into glass
- Total internal reflection
- Worked example: critical angles
- Optical fibres
- Why diamonds sparkle
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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