Question
Describe refraction through a rectangular glass slab. Show the lateral shift produced by it.
Answer
Refraction through a rectangular glass slab occurs when a ray of light enters the slab at an angle other than perpendicular to the surface of the slab. The light wave changes speed as it enters the denser medium of the glass, causing it to bend towards the normal, which is a line perpendicular to the surface of the glass. When the light ray exits the glass slab, it bends away from the normal, since the light wave speeds up as it leaves the denser medium.
