In which of the following scenarios would total internal reflection NOT occur?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
In which of the following scenarios would total internal reflection NOT occur?
Light traveling from diamond to air.
Light traveling from water to air.
Light traveling from air to glass.
Light traveling from glass to water.
Total internal reflection cannot occur when light travels from a rarer medium (air) to a denser medium (glass).
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: In which of the following scenarios would total internal reflection NOT occur?
Solution: Total internal reflection cannot occur when light travels from a rarer medium (air) to a denser medium (glass).
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what total internal reflection is. It happens when light tries to move from a denser medium to a rarer medium and hits the boundary at a certain angle.
Step 2: Identify the types of mediums. A rarer medium is one that is less dense (like air), and a denser medium is one that is more dense (like glass).
Step 3: Recognize the direction of light. Total internal reflection occurs when light goes from a denser medium (like glass) to a rarer medium (like air).
Step 4: Apply this understanding to the question. If light is traveling from a rarer medium (air) to a denser medium (glass), total internal reflection cannot happen.
Step 5: Conclude that total internal reflection does not occur in the scenario where light moves from air to glass.
