Fénytör

Fénytör, also known as refraction, is the bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. This phenomenon occurs because the speed of the wave changes as it enters a new medium. Light, sound, and water waves all exhibit refraction. The amount of bending depends on the refractive indices of the two media and the angle at which the wave strikes the interface.

When light travels from a less dense medium, such as air, into a more dense medium, like water or glass, it slows down and bends towards the normal (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface). Conversely, when light travels from a denser to a less dense medium, it speeds up and bends away from the normal. This principle explains why objects submerged in water appear to be bent or shallower than they actually are, and why a prism can split white light into its constituent colors. The laws governing refraction were first systematically described by Snell's law.

Refraction plays a crucial role in various natural phenomena and technological applications. It is fundamental to the functioning of lenses in eyeglasses, telescopes, and microscopes, allowing us to correct vision and magnify distant or tiny objects. The dispersion of light by raindrops creates rainbows. Understanding light refraction is essential in fields like optics, physics, and engineering.