Refraction is

Refraction is

• A. Reflection
• B. Transmission with a bend
• C. Absorption
• D. Diffraction

Answer: (B)

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium into another with a different optical density. Because the speed of light changes between media, the path tilts at the boundary rather than continuing straight. The light that crosses the boundary is transmitted into the new medium, but at a different angle, which is exactly what "transmission with a bend" describes. Snell’s law connects the incident and refracted angles to the refractive indices of the two media, explaining how much and in which direction the bend occurs. A practical cue: look at a straw in a glass of water—it looks bent at the surface because the light ray changes direction when entering the water. The other processes aren’t what defines refraction: reflection is light bouncing back into the original medium, absorption is energy lost within the medium, and diffraction involves bending around edges or through narrow openings rather than at a boundary between two media.

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium into another with a different optical density. Because the speed of light changes between media, the path tilts at the boundary rather than continuing straight. The light that crosses the boundary is transmitted into the new medium, but at a different angle, which is exactly what "transmission with a bend" describes. Snell’s law connects the incident and refracted angles to the refractive indices of the two media, explaining how much and in which direction the bend occurs.

A practical cue: look at a straw in a glass of water—it looks bent at the surface because the light ray changes direction when entering the water.

The other processes aren’t what defines refraction: reflection is light bouncing back into the original medium, absorption is energy lost within the medium, and diffraction involves bending around edges or through narrow openings rather than at a boundary between two media.