The natural tendency of light radiations is to travel in a straight-line path. When a light wave encounters a change in medium, it tends to suffer a slight bend. This bending of light is typically known as the process of refraction. In simple words, bending of light rays due to a change in medium or change in speed with which it propagates is known as the refraction of light.
Examples of Objects That Refract Light
There are a number of objects present around us that are capable of exhibiting refraction phenomena in real life. Some of them are listed below:
1. Prism
A glass prism is an instrument that is capable of demonstrating the refraction property of light in one of the easiest possible manners. The light radiation entering the glass prism tends to suffer a slight bend due to the change in the nature of the medium.
2. Ice Crystals
Ice crystals or ice cubes are yet another objects present in our daily life that are capable of exhibiting the refraction process of light.
3. Glass
Glass has a refractive index approximately equal to 1.0. When a ray of light falls on the interface of the surface of the glass and air or any other medium, it tends to undergo a slight bend and exhibit refraction.
4. Twinkling of Stars
The process of the twinkling of stars is typically based on the refraction of light. The light emitted by the stars gets directed towards the surface of the earth and gets refracted multiple times while travelling towards the ground. This happens as the stars are located in the outer space that does not have an environment; whereas, the atmosphere of earth comprises a number of gases, water vapours, dust particles etc. The change in the nature and refractive index of the two media is responsible to cause the refraction of light radiations.
5. Lens
All types of lenses are susceptible to displaying the natural phenomenon of refraction of light in real life. Some of the lenses used in real life that exhibit refraction include eye lens, microscope lens, telescope lens, spectacles lens, camera lens, etc.