A ray of light traveling in the air enters obliquely into water. Does the light ray bend towards the normal or away from the normal? Why?

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Solution

Trace the path of the refracted ray
In this case, the ray bends towards the normal.
When the ray of light travels from an optically rarer medium to an optically denser medium its speed slows down and the refracted ray gets bends towards the normal but if it moves from an optically denser medium to an optically rarer medium it bends away from the normal.
Hence, the ray bends towards the normal.

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Similar questions

Q. A ray of light goes from water into air. Will it bend towards the normal or away from the normal?

When a ray of light travelling in glass enters into water obliquely : (a) it is refracted towards the normal (b) it is not refracted at all (c) it goes along the normal (d) it is refracted away from the normal

When a ray of light from air enters a denser medium, it :

(a) bends away from the normal

(b) bends towards the normal

(d) is reflected back.

Q. • Why does a ray of light bend towards the normal when it enters
from air in a glass slab and bends away from the normal when it
emerges out into air?

A light ray moving into air from water will bend towards the normal.

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