Question

State whether true or false: Light travels in a straight line path while passing through different media
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

Hint:The path of light is a straight line path and the velocity of light is considered to be constant in uniform composition materials like glass. Whenever light enters a different medium like air or water, the pat and the velocity of light are changed.

Complete answer:
When a light ray travels from one medium to another medium, refraction takes place. Refraction occurs when a light wave which is incident at an angle away from the normal passes the boundary from one medium into another medium which changes the velocity of light.

The light wave changes direction whenever it enters a medium and the wavelength also decreases. The change in speed makes the light ray to bend and change its direction in a new medium. The phenomenon of the bending of light when it passes from one medium to another medium is called refraction. When a light travels into a different medium, it bends as shown in the below diagram:

Therefore, option B is correct.

Note:When a light wave passes from a fast medium to a slow medium, it bends the light ray towards the normal between two media. Refraction has many applications in our daily life. One important application is: Refraction is the phenomenon which is responsible for the formation of images by lenses and the eye. Refraction also makes objects under water to appear closer than they actually are. It is used in glasses, cameras, microscopes, etc.