How does light bend if it is going from an object with a higher density through an object with a lower density?

Answer 1

Snell's law relates the indices of refraction for two media with their angles of refraction with respect to the normal, and states:

#n_1sintheta_1 = n_2sintheta_2#
where:

#n_i# is the index of refraction of medium #i#.

#theta_i# is the angle of refraction (with respect to the normal of the boundary line) in medium #i#.

A denser medium has a higher index of refraction.

Let #n_2 < n_1#, so that we go from a higher-density medium to a lower-density medium. Then, since #n_i prop 1/sintheta_i#, or #n_i prop sintheta_j# (#i ne j#), we must have that #sintheta_2 > sintheta_1#.

Therefore, #color(blue)(theta_2 > theta_1)#, and light bends farther away from the line normal to the boundary between the two media, as shown by the reverse of the light ray below:

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Answer 2
Elena Albarran
When light travels from a medium with a higher density to a medium with a lower density, it bends away from the normal line, a phenomenon known as refraction.
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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.

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