Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

angle of refraction

American  

noun

Physics, Optics.
  1. the angle between a refracted ray and a line drawn normal to the interface between two media at the point of refraction.


angle of refraction British  

noun

  1. the angle that a refracted beam of radiation makes with the normal to the surface between two media at the point of refraction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

angle of refraction Scientific  
  1. The angle formed by the path of refracted light or other radiation and a line drawn perpendicular to the refracting surface at the point where the refraction occurred.


Etymology

Origin of angle of refraction

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The angle of refraction depends on the index of refraction, as we saw in The Law of Refraction.

From Textbooks Aug. 12, 2015

Taking the boundary between nearly empty space and the atmosphere to be sudden, calculate the angle of refraction for sunlight.

From Textbooks Aug. 12, 2015

The laser emerges from the lake into air with an angle of refraction of 67°.

From Textbooks Aug. 12, 2015

At what incident angle must 470 nm light enter flint glass to have the same angle of refraction?

From Textbooks Aug. 12, 2015

The angle of refraction is the angle formed by the refracted ray and the perpendicular to the surface at the point where the light strikes it.

From General Science by Clark, Bertha M.

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training