Kitchens by Riland

If you had ever thought of what science is do with our daily activities, then you have not understood the real meaning of science fully yet. Science is a part of our day to day life, it is interlinked and an integral part of our life, nature, environment. Most of us would have amazed at the view of our face in water surface this is called as refraction of light.

Refraction of any wave occurs when a wave travels from one medium to another at any angle. This is due to change in speed of the light when the medium changes. The principle of refraction is not just for light waves but it also implies to sound and any other kind of waves. Light when scattered from any surface undergoes refraction and reflection. Refraction differs from reflection by the fact that it does not involve change in velocity

The extent of refraction depends on several factors. The prime factor which affects the refraction of light is the difference in density between the two mediums. The other factors are angle at which it is incident on the surface, degree of bending, the change in velocity with respect to the medium and the refractive index of the medium. In denser mediums the velocity of light is reduced considerably which causes the effect of bending.

Refractive index is the relation between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction. It can also be defined in terms of wavelength of light in vacuum and medium. Different materials have different refractive indices and the degree of refraction depends on these refractive indices. The main purpose of finding the refractive index is to analyze the change in velocity of light between different mediums.

A scientist named Snell studied this phenomenon and formulated the Snell’s law which is considered as the universal law for refraction. The most astonishing feature of refraction of light is the fact that the objects appear closer than they are.

Every scientific innovation is not just a law to be studied in a boring book but it involves most of the things which we do in our day to day activities Many scientific instruments use this principle of refraction. The common examples are microscope, telescope. It also finds use in medical instruments like phoropter. Next time when you come across a face of yours in water, remember the mighty science of refraction behind that.