Physics
What is lateral displacement? Draw a ray diagram showing the lateral displacement of a ray of light when it passes through a parallel-sided glass slab.
Answer
The perpendicular distance between the incident ray and the emergent ray is defined as lateral displacement. This shift depends upon the angle of incidence, the angle of refraction and the thickness of the medium.
Below diagram shows the lateral displacement of a ray of light when it passes through a parallel-sided glass slab:
Related Questions
In the figure below, a ray of light A incident from air suffers partial reflection and refraction at the boundary of water.
(a) Complete the diagram showing (i) the reflected ray B and (ii) the refracted ray C.
(b) How are the angles of incidence i and refraction r related?
In the adjacent diagram, AO is a ray of light incident on a rectangular glass slab.
(a) Complete the path of the ray until it emerges out of the slab.
(b) In the diagram, mark the angle of incidence (i) and the angle of refraction (r) at the first interface. How is the refractive index of glass related to angles i and r?
(c) Mark angle of emergence by the letter e. How are the angles i and e related?
(d) Which two rays are parallel to each other? Name them.
(e) Indicate in the diagram the lateral displacement between the emergent ray and the incident ray. State one factor that affects the lateral displacement.
A ray of light strikes the surface at a rectangular glass slab such that the angle of incidence in air is (i) 0°, (ii) 45°. In each case, draw a diagram to show the path taken by the ray as it passes through the glass slab and emerges from it.
The diagram alongside shows the refraction of a ray of light from air to a liquid.
(a) Write the values of (i) angle of incidence, and (ii) angle of refraction.
(b) Use Snell's law to find the refractive index of liquid with respect to air.