Question

For a radio transmission, radio wave reaching the ionized medium:
A. will bend away from the normal.
B. will bend towards the normal.
C. will bend and follow a straight path.
D. None of the above.

Answer 1

Hint: The above problem can be resolved using the concept of ionisation as well as the non-ionisation. Moreover, the radio waves are more sustainable in the charged medium, due to which while entering from any other medium, there is always some path deviation for the radio waves. This path deviation towards or away from the normal depends on the difference between the densities of the medium.


Complete step by step answer
The radio waves are considered as one of the major categories of the electromagnetic waves, that tends to travel in a medium that is unionised. Moreover, they possess the tendency to travel from the given unionised medium toward the medium containing some ions, or the ionised medium, due to the reason because they are more stable in an ionised medium. Such that there occurs a deviation in the path of propagation of the radio wave while changing the medium from the non -ionised one to that towards the ionised medium. Hence, it can be concluded that the radio waves will move away from the normal because the ionised medium acts as a rarer medium in the context of the un-ionised medium.
Therefore, the radio wave reaching the ionized medium will bend away from the normal and option A is correct.


Note: Try to understand the concept of the deviation of the path of the radio waves, while propagating within some medium. When such propagation takes place from the rare to a denser medium, the deviation is away from the normal, and if it is reversed, then deviation is towards the normal.