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Course: Middle school physics > Unit 4
Lesson 3: Transmission and refractionTransmission and refraction
Review your understanding of transmission and refraction in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.
Key points:
- Transmission happens when a wave travels through a medium or into a new medium.
- Not all waves transmit through the same materials.
- Transmission depends on the type of wave, type of material and even the frequency of the wave.
- For example, if you knock on a door the vibration you create will transmit through the door and be heard as sound. However, light does not transmit through a door so you cannot be seen through it.
- Usually, waves travel in a straight line until they interact with a boundary. Refraction happens when a wave’s path bends at a boundary as it transmits into a new medium.
- The amount a wave refracts depends on the type of wave, the frequency of the wave, and the material it is moving into.
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- If you shine a light with a 🔦 on a 🪞, the light gets bent and it reaction is that it has 🌈 lights(26 votes)
- is it reflection(5 votes)
- For people who don't understand the concept of Transmission and Refraction:
Medium: An object that a wave can travel through
Transmission: When a wave (like light) travels through a medium.
Light waves travel through EMs, or electromagnetic fields. Mechanical waves, like water, can travel through physical mediums, like a sound wave can travel through a wall or door.
NOT ALL WAVES CAN TRAVEL THROUGH THE SAME (OR SAME TYPES) OF MEDIUMS.
Refraction: When a medium denser (heavier) then air bends light.
Example: Water is denser than air, so if you put something in a glass of water, it will appear bent below the water.(21 votes)- thanks meduim explanation clear everything(1 vote)
- Because it's accessible and the situation is relatable, and water is indeed another medium.(20 votes)
- Why doesn’t the line stay straight?(8 votes)
- Because the line is refracted.(2 votes)
- Is there a way to know how much refraction will happen?(5 votes)
- Kind of. Different objects have different levels/rates of refraction. The density on the object can also help determine it.(2 votes)
- Different materials have different rates of refraction based on the density of an object.(8 votes)
- why does light even exist.(6 votes)
- Because God thought light was good, so he said "Let there be light", and then there was light!(3 votes)
- How much refraction can happen at once?(6 votes)
- As much as you can fit in the glass.(2 votes)
- are waves caused by reflection or from whats in the water or because of its surrounding(6 votes)
- What if their isn’t a wave(6 votes)