Does the angles of incidence affect speed in glass

In summary, the speed of light in glass is not dependent on the angle of incidence, as it is determined by the refractive index of the material. The variation in lateral displacement, or the distance between the emergent ray and the original path of light, can be explained by Snell's law which relates the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction. This relationship can be seen in a simple ray box and glass block setup, where changing the angle of incidence will also change the angle of refraction and therefore the distance between the two points.
  • #1
bmcd
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I understand that the refractive index of different materials affects the speed of light but does light change speed in glass when entering from air at different angles of incidence?? if not what causes the variation in lateral displacement?
 
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  • #2
bmcd said:
does light change speed in glass when entering from air at different angles of incidence??
Do you mean, whether the light speed in the glass is dependent on the angle at which it impinges on the glass interface? If yes, it is not. The velocity in a medium other than air is given by ##v=c/n##, no angle dependence.
bmcd said:
if not what causes the variation in lateral displacement?
Which particular arrangement are you talking about?
 
  • #3
Ok, thanks but why the variation in lateral displacement
 
  • #4
Can you give a physical example pertaining the lateral displacement you are talking about?
 
  • #5
light passes into a glass block at 50 degrees will have a larger lateral displacement than light passing through the same glass block at a lesser angle of incidence. Why is this?
 
  • #6
Are you, for instance, talking about viewing a page of text through a fish tank or a thick pane of glass and noticing that the position of the [image of the] text seems displaced to the right when viewing through a tank slanted away to the right and is displaced to the left when viewing through a tank that is slanted away to the left?

It seems that you are. No, the speed of light in a particular type of glass is what it is, independent of the angle of incidence.

Read up on Snell's law. Do the trigonometry. Draw some lines and see what happens. One intuitive approach is to note that when the light impacts perpendicular to the surface there is no displacement and that when it impacts at any other angle there is. Obviously there will be a smooth curve that describes the offset as a function of refractive index, angle of incidence and block thickness that matches these simple observations. None of this requires a variation in speed of light according to angle of incidence.
 
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  • #7
Thanks for your help, I'm referring to a simple Ray box and changing the angle of incidence. With a greater AOI the distance between the emergent Ray and the original path of light increases as you increase the AOI.
 
  • #8
jbriggs444 said:
Are you, for instance, talking about viewing a page of text through a fish tank or a thick pane of glass and noticing that the position of the [image of the] text seems displaced to the right when viewing through a tank slanted away to the right and is displaced to the left when viewing through a tank that is slanted away to the left?

It seems that you are. No, the speed of light in a particular type of glass is what it is, independent of the angle of incidence.

Read up on Snell's law. Do the trigonometry. Draw some lines and see what happens. One intuitive approach is to note that when the light impacts perpendicular to the surface there is no displacement and that when it impacts at any other angle there is. Obviously there will be a smooth curve that describes the offset as a function of refractive index, angle of incidence and block thickness that matches these simple observations. None of this requires a variation in speed of light according to angle of incidence.

What is the science behind the difference in distance between the emergent Ray and the original path of light before refraction at different angles of incidence using a Ray box and a glass block? i.e bigger angle of incidence equals a bigger distance between those two points than a smaller angle of incidence!

Sorry not a physics specialist!
 
  • #9
Are you familiar with geometry? What do you think when you see this image
example_5.png
?
How will you express ##d## in terms of the other given parameters in that picture?
 
  • #10
blue_leaf77 said:
Are you familiar with geometry? What do you think when you see this image
example_5.png
?
How will you express ##d## in terms of the other given parameters in that picture?

Yes this is what I'm talking about so in layman terms why is d different at different angles of incidence
 
  • #11
bmcd said:
Yes this is what I'm talking about so in layman terms why is d different at different angles of incidence
What is d when the angle of incidence is 90 degrees?
Is d non-zero at other angles of incidence?
Do you expect d to vary continuously with the angle of incidence?
 
  • #12
Yes it is zero perpendicular to the glass block but it changes at different angles below 90. I suppose what I'm asking is there a relationship between the angle of incidence and refraction from air to glass (in basic GCSE) terminology?
 
  • #13
bmcd said:
Yes it is zero perpendicular to the glass block but it changes at different angles below 90. I suppose what I'm asking is there a relationship between the angle of incidence and refraction from air to glass (in basic GCSE) terminology?
Do you know Snell's Law? (The relation between angle of incidence and angle of refraction?)
When the angle of incidence changes, so does the angle of refraction. The length of path inside the gas plate also changes. Why do you think d must be constant? It is an easy geometric derivation to get the distance d in terms of angle of incidence.
 
  • #14
@bmcd , I guess your first keyword for now is the "Snell's law".
 

Related to Does the angles of incidence affect speed in glass

1. How does the angle of incidence affect the speed of light in glass?

The angle of incidence refers to the angle at which light enters a medium, such as glass. In general, the speed of light is affected by the refractive index of the medium, which depends on the density of the medium. As the angle of incidence increases, the light has to travel through a longer distance within the glass, resulting in a slower speed. This means that the angle of incidence does affect the speed of light in glass.

2. Does the speed of light in glass change as the angle of incidence changes?

Yes, the speed of light in glass does change as the angle of incidence changes. This is because the change in angle affects the path length that the light has to travel within the glass, causing a difference in speed. As the angle of incidence increases, the speed of light in glass decreases.

3. What is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the speed of light in glass?

The relationship between the angle of incidence and the speed of light in glass is an inverse one. This means that as the angle of incidence increases, the speed of light in glass decreases, and vice versa. It is important to note that this relationship only applies to light traveling through a single medium, such as glass.

4. Does the angle of incidence affect the color of light passing through glass?

Yes, the angle of incidence can affect the color of light passing through glass. This is due to the phenomenon of refraction, where the change in angle can cause the light to bend and separate into different colors, as seen in a prism. The specific angle at which this occurs is known as the critical angle.

5. Is the effect of angle of incidence on speed in glass the same for all types of light?

The effect of angle of incidence on speed in glass is not the same for all types of light. This is because different types of light have different wavelengths, which can result in varying levels of refraction and speed within the glass. For example, red light, which has a longer wavelength, will experience less of a change in speed compared to blue light, which has a shorter wavelength, when passing through glass at the same angle of incidence.

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