Lateral displacement refers to the horizontal shift or deviation experienced by a light ray as it passes through a medium with varying refractive indices. When light enters a medium such as air, water, or glass, its speed changes due to the differences in refractive index. This change in speed causes the light ray to bend or refract. The degree of bending is determined by Snell's law, which relates the incident angle, refracted angle, and refractive indices of the two mediums involved.When a light ray passes through a medium with a non-uniform refractive index, such as a prism, the angle of incidence changes as it travels from one region to another with a different refractive index. This change in the angle of incidence causes the light to deviate or displace laterally, resulting in a shift in the position of the ray. This lateral displacement can be observed when a ray of light passes through a prism and emerges at a different position than where it entered.Lateral displacement is an essential phenomenon in optics and is commonly observed in various applications such as prism spectroscopy, where the dispersion of light into its component colors is studied. It also plays a role in devices like prismatic lenses and optical devices used for ray deviation or redirection.
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Answer:
Lateral displacement refers to the horizontal shift or deviation experienced by a light ray as it passes through a medium with varying refractive indices. When light enters a medium such as air, water, or glass, its speed changes due to the differences in refractive index. This change in speed causes the light ray to bend or refract. The degree of bending is determined by Snell's law, which relates the incident angle, refracted angle, and refractive indices of the two mediums involved.When a light ray passes through a medium with a non-uniform refractive index, such as a prism, the angle of incidence changes as it travels from one region to another with a different refractive index. This change in the angle of incidence causes the light to deviate or displace laterally, resulting in a shift in the position of the ray. This lateral displacement can be observed when a ray of light passes through a prism and emerges at a different position than where it entered.Lateral displacement is an essential phenomenon in optics and is commonly observed in various applications such as prism spectroscopy, where the dispersion of light into its component colors is studied. It also plays a role in devices like prismatic lenses and optical devices used for ray deviation or redirection.
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Explanation:
Lateral displacement is the perpendicular distance between the incident ray and the emergent ray.