What path will a ray of light take when passing from one medium to another with a different refractive index?

When a ray of light passes from one medium to another with a different refractive index, it refracts, or bends, at the interface between the two media. The direction and degree of this bending are governed by Snell's Law, which states that the ratio of the sines of the angles of incidence and refraction is equal to the ratio of the velocities of light in the two media, or equivalently, the inverse ratio of the refractive indices.

The correct path taken by the ray of light reflects this law, showing how the light bends towards or away from the normal line (an imaginary line perpendicular to the surface at the point of incidence). If light moves from a medium with a higher refractive index to one with a lower refractive index, it will bend away from the normal. Conversely, when it moves from a lower to a higher refractive index, it will bend towards the normal.

The chosen path illustrates the correct bending behavior of the light ray at the boundary between the two media. This behavior is crucial for understanding optical phenomena in various applications, such as lenses, prisms, and fiber optics, where controlling the direction of light is essential for functionality. Understanding and visualizing the effects of refractive indices enable accurate predictions