A light ray falls on a square slab at an angle 45°. What must be the m...
Explanation:
- Total internal reflection occurs when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, which is the angle at which the refracted ray is at an angle of 90° to the normal.
- In this case, the light ray falls on a square slab at an angle of 45°. The critical angle can be calculated using the formula: critical angle = sin^-1(1/n), where n is the index of refraction of the medium.
- For total internal reflection to occur at the vertical face of the slab, the angle of incidence must be greater than the critical angle at that face. Since the angle of incidence is 45°, the critical angle at the vertical face is also 45°.
- Therefore, sin(45°) = 1/n.
- Solving for n, we get n = √2.
- However, the question asks for the minimum index of refraction, which means we need to find the smallest possible value of n that will cause total internal reflection at the vertical face.
- Since the options are all in simplified fractions, we can simplify √2 to √2/1.
- We can then use the fact that sin(45°) = √2/2 to rewrite the equation as: √2/2 = 1/n.
- Solving for n, we get n = √2/√2/2 = √2 x 2/√2 = √2 x √2 = 2.
- However, the question asks for the minimum value of n that will cause total internal reflection, so we need to check if there is a smaller value that will work.
- We can use the fact that sin(45°) = cos(45°) = √2/2 to rewrite the equation as: √2/2 = √(1 - sin^2(45°))/n.
- Simplifying and solving for n, we get n = √3/√2.
- Therefore, the minimum index of refraction of glass that will cause total internal reflection at the vertical face is √3/√2.
Answer: (b) √3/√2.
A light ray falls on a square slab at an angle 45°. What must be the m...