What happens to light as the density of a material increases?

As the density of a material increases, light interacts with the atoms and molecules within that material, leading to a change in its speed and direction. Specifically, light slows down as it enters a denser medium, such as glass or water, compared to its speed in a vacuum. This reduction in speed is due to the increased number of interactions between the light waves and the particles in the denser material.

Furthermore, as light slows down, it also bends, or refracts, more significantly at the interface between different mediums. This effect is described by Snell’s Law, which dictates that the angle of incidence and refraction depends on the wavelengths of light traveling through the different media. Therefore, in a denser medium, light will not only travel slower but will also bend more sharply compared to when it is in a less dense medium.

Overall, the relationship between density and the behavior of light is crucial to understanding optical phenomena such as lenses and refraction.