Refraction for All!

Today began our journey through the world of refraction and lenses (aka Chapter 15). B Block had to go it alone since I was summoned to talk with parents of incoming freshmen for scheduling concerns, so they slogged through Snell's Law and the law of refraction on their own. Tomorrow, we'll add some explanation to all of that...

C and E Blocks discussed the phenomenon of refraction - the change of speed, direction and wavelength of light when it changes media - and how to quantify the speed and direction change. Be very clear about what happens when light enters a more denser material (slows down, shorter wavelength, path closer to normal line) and when it enters a less dense medium (faster speed, longer wavelength, path diverges from normal line). We looked at the property of transparent materials called the index of refraction and what that meant in terms of wave speed in that material. Lastly, we related the phenomenon of dispersion to refraction. In materials with a significant index of refraction like a diamond or quartz, there is a very noticeable difference in the speed changes and path of travels for the different colors of light. Tomorrow, apply refraction to yet another concept - image formation by lenses.

F Block worked on their lens lab during long block. Both converging and diverging lenses were investigated for patterns of image formation. As with converging mirrors, converging lenses can make real or virtual images dependent on placement of the object. Diverging lenses, like diverging mirrors, can only form virtual images smaller than the object. We'll dive into this topic in detail on Monday, but tomorrow is set aside to get a handle on refraction and how to evaluate the effects of refraction on the motion of light.