Question 1

Multiple choiceMedium1 mark

A plane wave crosses a straight boundary from medium 1 into medium 2. What is the ratio λ2/λ1\lambda_2/\lambda_1

medium 1medium 2αβO
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Answer: D. Each ray is perpendicular to its wavefronts, so the angles to the normal are α\alpha and β\beta Frequency is unchanged at the boundary, so λ2/λ1=v2/v1\lambda_2/\lambda_1=v_2/v_1 From Snell’s law, n1sin⁡α=n2sin⁡βn_1\sin\alpha=n_2\sin\beta and n=c/vn=c/v giving v2/v1=n1/n2=sin⁡β/sin⁡αv_2/v_1=n_1/n_2=\sin\beta/\sin\alpha
A: reverses the incident-to-transmitted ratio.
B: uses the angle ratio instead of the sine ratio.
C: treats the marked angles as angles between rays and the boundary, rather than between wavefronts and the boundary.
Remember: the angle between a wavefront and the boundary equals the angle between its ray and the normal.

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