3. Four materials (A ,B,C,D) have indices of refraction of 1.72,1.00,2.30 and 1.50 respectively. Which material will refract (bend) light the most? Why? (2 marks)

Material C will refract light the most.The index of refraction (n) of a material indicates how much light slows down when it enters that material from a vacuum. A higher index of refraction means light travels slower in that material. Snell's Law describes the relationship between the angle of incidence, angle of refraction, and the indices of refraction of the two media. A larger difference in the indices of refraction between the two media will result in a larger angle of refraction (i.e., more bending). Since material C has the highest index of refraction (2.30), and assuming the incident medium is air (n ≈ 1.00), light entering material C will experience the greatest change in speed and thus the greatest bending.