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.

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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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of angle of refraction

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

angle of refraction

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

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

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

Now construct a problem in which you determine the angle of refraction for different models of the atmosphere, such as various layers of varying density.

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

If the increase of the angle of refraction were proportional to the diminution of wave-length for a prism of any material, the resulting spectrum would also be normal.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various