What happens to the Angle of Refraction as the medium becomes denser?
As the medium becomes denser, the angle of refraction generally decreases. This is known as refraction.
According to Snell's law, the angle of refraction is determined by the ratio of the speed of light in the initial medium to the speed of light in the refracted medium.
When light passes from a less dense medium to a denser medium, its speed decreases. As a result, the angle of refraction bends towards the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface of the boundary between the two mediums).
This behavior can be observed when light travels from air (less dense) to water (denser) or from air to glass (denser). The angle of refraction in water or glass will be smaller than the angle of incidence in air.
However, it is important to note that the angle of refraction does not always decrease as the medium becomes denser. For highly dense mediums like diamond or other special materials, the angle of refraction can actually increase compared to the angle of incidence.