Ayushree
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The refractive indices of three media are given below: A ray of light is travelling from A to B and another ray is travelling from B to C. (a) In which of the two cases the refracted ray bends towards the normal? (b) In which case does the speed of light increase in the second medium? Give reasons for your answer.

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When light travels from medium A (refractive index 1.6) to medium B (1.8), it enters a denser medium. Light slows down and bends towards the normal, proving A → B causes bending towards the normal.

sample paper for class 10 science board exam 2026

class 10 science board exam paper 2026

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1 Answer

  1. (a) When a ray travels from A (refractive index 1.6) to B (1.8), it moves from a rarer to a denser medium. In this case, the speed of light decreases, causing the ray to bend towards the normal. Therefore, the bending towards the normal occurs only in the transition from medium A to medium B.

    (b) When the ray moves from B (refractive index 1.8) to C (1.5), it passes from a denser to a rarer medium. Light travels faster in a medium with lower refractive index. Thus, in medium C, with refractive index 1.5, the speed of light increases compared to medium B, because of the inverse relationship between refractive index and velocity.

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