When light is refracted, what typically happens to its direction?

• A. It bends
• B. It disperses
• C. It intensifies
• D. It amplifies

Answer: (A)

When light is refracted, its direction bends due to a change in speed as it passes from one medium to another, such as from air into water or glass. This bending occurs because the speed of light varies in different materials; for example, light travels more slowly in water than it does in air. According to Snell's Law, the degree to which light bends depends on the indices of refraction of the two media involved.

The other choices describe different phenomena that do not specifically pertain to the change in direction associated with refraction. Dispersing of light typically refers to the separation of light into its component colors, which happens more often in prisms than in typical refraction. Intensifying or amplifying light relates to concepts of energy or intensity rather than a change in direction. Thus, bending accurately characterizes the behavior of light when it refracts.